Much of innovation research focuses on the innovating individual or the environment in which the innovation takes place. Moreover, empirical work has predominantly been concentrated on apparently innovative sectors such as those engaged in new technologies or in the early growth phase of development. This research is concerned with organisational characteristics which affect innovativeness in a mature industry setting. This research is based on a subsector of the UK textile industry. The first phase of research sought to identify a ranking among firms in the sector in terms of their innovativeness. The second phase focussed on a small sample of these firms and identified which organisational characteristics appeared to be most associated with innovativeness. In the sample of firms investigated it appeared that innovativeness was very closely associated with a group of characteristics related to the firm's business strategy and how well this strategy was known and understood by members of the firm. Another group of characteristics which also appeared to be associated with innovativeness, though less closely, was related to the way the firm was managed and the degree to which individual members of the firm experienced freedom to use their own initiative. The implications of the study are discussed and some lines for future research are suggested.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:233626 |
| Date | January 1989 |
| Creators | Pearson, G. J. |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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