SME Innovation in Regional Innovation Systems
von Thore Sören Bischoff
Datum der mündl. Prüfung:2023-04-21
Erschienen:2023-08-31
Betreuer:Prof. Dr. Kilian Bizer
Gutachter:Prof. Dr. Kilian Bizer
Gutachter:Prof. Dr. Till Proeger
Gutachter:Prof. Dr. Katharina Scheidgen
Dateien
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Zusammenfassung
Englisch
This dissertation analyzes innovations in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using the concept of regional innovation systems (RIS). The research shows the heterogeneity of innovation processes in SMEs and regions and focuses on the importance of generalized trust within regions for innovation, the relation between digitalization and innovation, and the importance of personality traits of SME owners in innovation processes. The literature on RIS emphasizes the importance of intangible characteristics of RIS for SME innovation. However, only a limited number of quantitative studies have addressed this topic empirically. Chapters 2 and 3 of this dissertation hence quantitatively analyze the influence of a specific intangible or “soft” factor that affects SME innovation, namely generalized trust. The results point to the particular importance of generalized trust for innovation in regions with relatively low levels of trust and for SME innovation. Chapter 4 investigates how the digital transformation is changing the nature of innovation as well as the way in which it emerges. On the one hand, the introduction of digital products or processes can constitute an innovation itself. On the other hand, they can be an input for other (non-) digital innovations. The introduction of digital technologies often requires significant changes to a company’s internal processes. Moreover, digitalization also has impacts on the RIS; for example, by changing the nature of knowledge flows and thus the appropriability of digital innovation outcomes or affecting the interplay of digital technologies and open innovation processes. As innovation and digitalization activities in SMEs often depend on the firm’s external environment, analyzing the links between digitalization and innovation is particularly important for understanding SME innovation. SMEs often rely on external collaborations for innovation due to their missing in-house financial and personnel resources. Therefore, owners of SMEs often play an important role in engaging in external collaborations with other actors from the RIS and for the inflow of new knowledge. The final chapter thus quantitatively analyzes the effect of an SME owner’s personality on the introduction of digital innovations at the company level. The results provide evidence that the personality traits extraversion and openness are positively related to the introduction of digital innovation in crafts SMEs and that different personality traits are important at different maturity levels of digitalization.
Keywords: SMEs; Regional innovation systems; Generalized trust; Personality traits; Digitalization