Innovation and Creativity in SMEs

Conclusion

The driving force of innovation in the competitiveness of enterprises and in the growth of countries is no longer in doubt (Baumol 2002). However, innovation is not a matter of course. As exciting and motivating as it is, it is a process that presents at least two major obstacles: the probability of failure is high and it involves disrupting habits (Soken and Barnes 2014), which is not easy in a context of change and crisis (Weick 1988). Innovation is therefore characterized by a dilemma: innovation is essential, but uncertain and complex. If this dilemma concerns all enterprises regardless of their size, the purpose of this book has been to show that it is even more so for SMEs.

In this sense, and to shed light on SMEs’ capacity for innovation, many academic studies first highlight the obstacles. For example, econometric work that analyzes the impact of different criteria, including size and sector, on innovation efforts or production generally highlights the difficulties of small firms compared to large ones, while presenting sometimes contradictory results (Rahmouni and Yildizoglu 2011). Work using survey data (Mohnen and Rosa 2000; Baldwin and Lin 2002; D’Este et al. 2012) provides a more accurate picture of obstacles as perceived by enterprises themselves. They confirm that SMEs are generally hampered by issues of cost, difficulty with financing and access to resources, resulting in their borders being opened up, as Wim Vanhaverbeke (2017; 2018) points out. ...