Browsing by Subject "Product innovation"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Open Access
    Effects of open climate on innovation radicality in SMEs: relevance of hidden innovation
    (2022-06-09) Barba Aragon, María Isabel; Valle Mestre, L.; Barba Aragón, María Isabel; Jiménez-Jiménez, Daniel; Valle-Mestre, Ledian; Organización de Empresas y Finanzas
    Purpose: Open innovation is an issue that has aroused great interest in recent years. The need to create an environment that facilitates the creation of ideas is essential for the implementation of a series of changes in organizational practices and routines that lead to the launch of new products. However, due to the more behavioral nature and the lesser externalization of these changes introduced in the company's internal processes, how this process occurs has not been studied in depth. However, there are few empirical studies on the climate of open innovation in the field of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The objective of this study is to analyse the effect of an open innovation climate on both incremental and radical product innovation. Moreover, it specifically analyses the mediating role played by hidden innovation in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology used in this study was based on a survey of 213 Spanish SMEs, subsequently applying the structural equation methodology to contrast the results. Findings: The results indicate that the open innovation climate offers significant competitive advantages to SMEs. First, the open innovation climate in SMEs favorably influences product innovation (both incremental and radical). Secondly, it is observed that hidden innovations are essential to obtain product innovations. Finally, evidence of the mediating effect of hidden innovation has been obtained. Originality: The main interest of this work is based on the importance of hidden innovation for the development of innovations. Our study shows how organizations must make a series of organizational changes prior to the implementation of more visible innovations materialized in products. For this task, the creation of a favorable climate for the development of new ideas becomes a fundamental task. On the other hand, this study has focused on SMEs, which tend to have fewer means for the development of the right conditions for innovation and are often more neglected by scientific research. Research limitations/implications: Although the literature often focuses on visible innovation, materialized in product development, this study once again demonstrates the importance of other types of innovations that are necessary to launch new products. This is especially relevant for SMEs that, with limited resources, must be creative enough to involve their personnel in introducing changes that will lead to new products. This paper attempts to strengthen the previous literature on hidden innovation by contributing to the understanding of how SMEs improve their innovative processes. However, the study has the limitations inherent to cross-sectional studies. Practical implications: Managers of companies involved in innovation processes should pay more attention to creating conditions that facilitate the creation of new ideas or the implementation of less visible but necessary practices to develop innovation.
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    Publication
    Open Access
    Product and business process innovation, competitive advantage and export performance
    (Emerald, 2023-11-01) Piñera-Salmerón, José; Sanz-Valle, Raquel; Jiménez-Jiménez, Daniel; Organización de Empresas y Finanzas; Facultades, Departamentos, Servicios y Escuelas::Departamentos de la UMU::Organización de Empresas y Finanzas
    Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between innovation and export performance by examining the effect of different types of innovation on export performance and testing the assumption underlying most studies in the field that competitive advantage mediates this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: From the literature review, we propose a research model which is estimated using a sample of 200 Spanish exporting manufacturing companies. Data for this study were collected with an ad-hoc questionnaire, and the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was chosen to analyze the data. Findings: The results show that there is a positive relationship between product and business process innovation and export performance and that competitive advantage mediates this relationship, but only when it is based on costs, not on differentiation. Originality/value: This paper provides evidence that product and business process innovation are positively related to export performance and that competitive advantage mediates these relationships, but only when the advantage is low-cost. Unexpectedly, we find that differentiation is neither related to export performance nor explains the relationship between innovation and export performance.
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    Publication
    Open Access
    Studying the relationships among human capital, technological capabilities, and innovation in Spanish manufacturing firms
    (Inderscience, 2020-08-13) Sanz-Valle, Raquel; Jiménez-Jiménez, Daniel; Organización de Empresas y Finanzas; Facultades, Departamentos, Servicios y Escuelas::Departamentos de la UMU::Organización de Empresas y Finanzas
    This paper focuses on the relationships among human capital, technological capabilities and innovation. In particular, following the resource-based view and the dynamic capabilities approach, this research proposes that both technological capabilities and human capital are drivers of innovation for both products and processes. In addition, it suggests that the effect of human capital on innovation is mediated by technological capabilities. This idea about mediation arises from a review of the literature, although it has never been specifically addressed. The research uses a sample of 200 Spanish manufacturing firms to test the hypotheses. Findings provide evidence of the direct effect proposed and also show that the relationship between human capital and both product and process innovation is mediated by technological capabilities. However, according to our findings, this mediation is only partial for product innovation. The implications of these results for academia as well as for practitioners are discussed.
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    Publication
    Open Access
    The influence of family involvement and generational stage on learning-by-exporting among family firms
    (2020) Sánchez Marín, Gregorio; Pemartín González-Adalid, María; Monreal Pérez, Joaquín; Organización de Empresas y Finanzas; Facultades, Departamentos, Servicios y Escuelas::Departamentos de la UMU::Organización de Empresas y Finanzas
    This paper analyses the link between export activity and product innovation in family firms. Following the learning-by-exporting (LBE) hypothesis and considering that family firms are not homogeneous entities, we explore differences among family firms regarding the influence of export activity on product innovation based on the degree of family involvement in management and on the generational implication. Based on a sample of 797 family firms operating in 20 different manufacturing industries over the period 2007-2014, empirical findings indicate that there are significant differences between family firms in terms of the conversion process of the benefits of exporting into product innovation. The family involvement in management fosters the LBE effect on product innovation through an inverted U-shaped pattern, reaching a peak when there are 2.97 family members involved in the management of the company. Contrary to expectations, results also show a positive influence of first-generation family firms on the LBE effect on product innovation