The impact of Innovation on the activities of SMEs in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Innovation is widely recognised in business literature and research as a fundamental source of organisational growth. This is more important in small and medium enterprises, which must find a product or service which is differentiated from their competitors to attract and retain customers and generate business growth. Capturing the opinions of 146 small businesses across the UK operating in a variety of industry sectors, the findings reveal that small businesses in the UK actively engage in innovation. The study further revealed that contrary to previous literature, SMEs favour an incremental approach to innovation over the radical approach. The reason for this is that the majority of their customers prefer consistency and stability in products and services, and therefore there are understandable for adopting an incremental approach. The study also emphasised the need for an innovative culture within their organisations which is considered to be fundamental to business success. The main significant of the study, given the critical value of SMEs to the UK economy, it will help to identify how innovation and the associated knowledge can impact on business growth in this sector.