Title: Emerging and deliberate product innovation strategies in SMEs: results from a longitudinal study

Authors: Karl-Heinz Leitner

Addresses: Innovation Systems Department, Austrian Institute of Technology, Donau-City-Strasse 1, 1220 Vienna, Austria

Abstract: The paper studies innovation strategy formation and its impact on firm performance. Strategy formation was measured based on an analysis of strategic intentions and corresponding actions in two surveys carried out in 1995 and 2003. We found no direct association between emergent and deliberate innovation strategies and performance. Taking into account industry dynamics shows that environmental dynamics did not moderate the strategy performance link either. However, contrary to our expectations, emergent strategists used less often information from employees for strategy development and assessed their communication capabilities weaker as deliberate strategists.

Keywords: product innovation strategy; strategy formation; emergent strategy; firm performance; longitudinal study; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; environmental dynamics; communication capabilities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2016.075300

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2016 Vol.20 No.1/2, pp.80 - 98

Accepted: 09 Jun 2015
Published online: 11 Mar 2016 *

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