Relatedness in the adoption of different innovation types: product, process, organisational and commercial innovations

ABSTRACT

The paper analyses the relatedness or interrelations in the joint adoption of different types of innovation (product, process, organisational, and commercial). We study the relatedness in the adoption of two innovation types and how it could be conditioned by the presence/absence of the remaining innovation types. In order to do this we develop a new methodological approach for testing conditional relatedness. The empirical study uses the Spanish Community Innovation Survey (2008–2014). Our results show that, contrary to the traditional approach that suggests a strong relatedness between product and process innovations, this is the less intense link found. Our empirical approach also allows us to confirm that product innovation emerges as a fundamental axis in the innovation strategy because the more intensively used innovation strategies are those combining product innovation with any other innovation type in absence of the rest and those combining any of the other three innovation types in presence of product innovation. These results provide implications for further research, top management and innovation strategy development.

KEYWORDS:

• Innovation types
• adoption
• relatedness
• Spanish CIS

JEL:

• M20
• O31

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Gema García-Piqueres, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Operations Management at the Business Administration Department (University of Cantabria - UC). Her field of research is broadly concerned with understanding the innovation management processes from both firm’s and innovation systems’ perspective and innovation in family firms. She has co-authored a significant number of national and international conference papers, books and journal articles including those appeared in Journal of Manufacturing Systems, R&D Management, Business Research Quarterly, Journal of Manufacturing and Technology Management or European Journal of Innovation Management.

Ana Mª Serrano-Bedia, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Operations Management at the Business Administration Department (University of Cantabria - UC). Her primary research interests are in the fields of innovation management, manufacturing flexibility, entrepreneurship and family firms. She has co-authored a significant number of national and international conference papers, books and journal articles including those appeared in Journal of Manufacturing Systems, International Journal of Production Research, Journal of Small Business Management, Tourism Management, Organization & Environment, R&D Management, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, Total Quality Management & Business Excellence.

Mª Concepción López-Fernández, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Management and Strategy at the Business Administration Department (University of Cantabria - UC). Her research interests include innovation management, entrepreneurship, family business, business strategy and structure, organisational flexibility, and tourism. She has co-authored a significant number of national and international conference papers, books and journal articles including those appearing in Family Business Review, Journal of Manufacturing Systems, Journal of Small Business Management, Tourism Management, Organization & Environment, R&D Management, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, International Journal of Production Research or Journal of Manufacturing and Technology Management.

Marta Pérez-Pérez, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Operations Management at the Business Administration Department (University of Cantabria - UC). Her main primary topics of research include strategic management of manufacturing and supply chain flexibilities, systematic reviews through bibliometric analysis, entrepreneurship and family firms, and information and communication technology within European Higher Education Area (EHEA). She has co-authored a significant number of national and international conference papers, books and journal articles including those appeared in Journal of Manufacturing Systems, International Journal of Production Research, Journal of Small Business Management, Revista Española de Documentación Científica or Estudios Gerenciales.

ORCID

Gema García-Piqueres http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2625-6795

Ana Mª Serrano-Bedia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7319-0816

Marta Pérez-Pérez http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0342-504X