What Makes for Successful Innovation Teams in Small and Medium Enterprises? A Multiple Case Study

Edurn Martínez-Moreno (), Virginia Díaz (), Silvia da Costa (), Darío Páez () and Rosa Mindeguia ()
Additional contact information
Edurn Martínez-Moreno: Funding by the University of Basque Country, Psychology Faculty Avenida Tolosa 70, 20011, Donostia/San Sebastián, España
Virginia Díaz: Funding by the University of Basque Country, Psychology Faculty Avenida Tolosa 70, 20011, Donostia/San Sebastián, España
Silvia da Costa: Funding by the University of Basque Country, Psychology Faculty Avenida Tolosa 70, 20011, Donostia/San Sebastián, España
Darío Páez: Funding by the University of Basque Country, Psychology Faculty Avenida Tolosa 70, 20011, Donostia/San Sebastián, España
Rosa Mindeguia: Funding by the University of Basque Country, Psychology Faculty Avenida Tolosa 70, 20011, Donostia/San Sebastián, España

International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), 2020, vol. 17, issue 08, 1-29

Abstract: This study explores how training of facilitators and coordinators can promote the creation of high-performing innovation teams in SMEs, and analyzes why some trained teams are successful and others are not. Within a participatory action research framework, eight innovation teams were newly created in six SMEs in the Spanish service sector and were followed up over six months. Facilitators and coordinators underwent 12 h of training prior to creating new innovation teams in their own organizations, whose work was followed up over six months. Team processes and results were analyzed based on both quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews, incident diaries, and open questions) data that were gathered longitudinally across the study period. Our results showed that, despite complaints about poor management of face-to-face meetings, difficulties in the use of information and communication technologies and work overload are surmountable. The greatest barrier for innovation teams is a lack of commitment on the part of top managers and low involvement and participation by team members. Reflexivity, both inside and outside the team (i.e. in follow up sessions), was one of the most valued and useful strategies for innovation teams. Our findings highlight the importance of training programs that can provide both technical and emotional support to team facilitators and coordinators and enable SMEs to create high-performing innovation teams despite their limited financial and human resources.

Keywords: Innovation teams; SMEs; training program; multiple case; action research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0219877021500024
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wsi:ijitmx:v:17:y:2020:i:08:n:s0219877021500024

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from

DOI: 10.1142/S0219877021500024

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM) is currently edited by H K Tang

More articles in International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM) from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Tai Tone Lim ().