Innovation and export: the joint challenge of the small company

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Part 1. The Relationship between Innovation and Export in SMEs 1

Chapter 1. The Innovation–Export Relationship: A Complex Vision 3

1.1. The innovation–export link: a controversial debate 4

1.1.1. In the industrial world: a compartmentalized vision 4

1.1.2. In the academic world: a causalist vision questioned 8

1.2. Towards a paradigm shift 16

1.2.1. Moving from analytical thinking to complex thinking 16

1.2.2. Theoretical framework: articulation of mobilized theories 21

1.2.3. The application of the complexity paradigm to SME innovation and export activities 30

Chapter 2. Joint Innovation–Export Best Practices 37

2.1. The construction of a theoretical frame of reference 37

2.1.1. Identifying innovation practices: the potential innovation index (PII) 38

2.1.2. Identification of export practices 41

2.1.3. Towards a joint reference system 44

2.2. What about the field? 55

2.2.1. Presentation of the consulted companies and method 57

2.2.2. Highlighting synergies 59

2.2.3. Discussions 65

Part 2. PE2I, or How to Model Synergies 67

Chapter 3. Design of a Joint Diagnosis Dedicated to SMEs: The PE2I 69

3.1. The methodological framework 69

3.1.1. The methodological background 70

3.1.2. The methodological tools used 72

3.1.3. PII and PEI as a basis for development 74

3.2. The construction of the PE2I 78

3.2.1. Step 1: create a maturity profile 78

3.2.2. Step 2: weighting and characterization of the evaluation model using multi-criteria analysis tools 80

3.2.3. Step 3: identify customized improvement paths 84

Chapter 4. Implementation of the PE2I: Test with French SMEs 87

4.1. Experimental panel and methodology 87

4.1.1. Presentation of the panel 88

4.1.2. The conduct of the interviews 89

4.2. Presentation of results and observations 91

4.2.1. Case 1: company 1 91

4.2.2. Case 2: company 2 96

4.2.3. Case 3: company 3 99

4.2.4. Case 4: company 4 103

4.2.5. Case 5: company 5 106

4.2.6. Case 6: company 6 110

4.3. Assessment 113

Chapter 5. Feedback on the PE2I Tool 115

5.1. The advantages and limitations of the PE2I tool 115

5.1.1. A customizable pedagogical representation tool 115

5.1.2. Operational difficulties 117

5.2. Prospects for improvement 120

5.2.1. Operationalizing the evaluation: reconciling the constraints of the field 121

5.2.2. Contextualization of the recommendation system: taking into account differentiating factors 123

5.2.3. Proposing evidence-based recommendations: an operational action plan to promote synergies 126

Conclusion 129

References 141

Index 157

DESCRIPTION
The concepts of innovation and export are traditionally considered in isolation, both within companies and within the support organizations dedicated to them. As a result, within this broad research field, very little academic work has focused on how to implement their relationship at an operational level. This book proposes a joint diagnostic tool for SMEs, highlighting good practices to be mastered in order to simultaneously improve innovation and export performance, in the form of a virtuous circle. Innovation and Export focuses on the integration of innovation and export into the strategic management of SMEs, for which the use of synergies is a powerful lever to overcome any difficulties in mobilizing significant resources.