A Compilation of Studies on Innovation in Firms: Persistence, Strategies, and Capabilities

Abstract

Innovation in firms and its determinants have been the focus of increasing interest for the last half a century. Especially in the last twenty years or so scholars have tried to understand organisational antecedents of innovation and the process and the capabilities within firms that lead to successful innovation output. Scientific research on the concept of innovation dates back to the early 20th century and the seminal works by Joseph A. Schumpeter (1934, 1939, 1942). The research by Schumpeter has been the most important guiding framework on the establishment of social science research on innovation. The last two decades research on innovation on the organizational level has developed dramatically and lead into the creation of an independent discipline, Innovation Studies. The aim has been to open the “black box” of the firm and understand the processes and determinants of innovation. The dissertation continues this strand of research by introducing six research papers addressing the determinants and effects of innovation from different aspects. The unifying aim of these papers is to increase our understanding the organization-level differences in innovation activity, output and effects within organizations, especially focusing on the capabilities and strategies with which organizations pursue new products, processes and organizational structures. This thesis contributes to the research tradition within the field of Innovation Studies, particularly the determinants of innovation and innovative capabilities of the firm. The dissertation sets out to increase our understanding the organization-level differences in innovation activity, output and effects within organizations, especially focusing on the capabilities and strategies with which organizations pursue new products, processes and organizational structures. This goal is approached by introducing six research papers addressing the determinants and effects of innovation from three perspectives. Thematically, the study is organized around two core themes: organizational capabilities, and innovation strategies of firms. These two specific themes of innovation on the organisational level are addressed in six chapters can be divided into three topics. These are innovation persistence, innovation in family firms, and organisational (dynamic) capabilities.