Innovative behaviour as a determinant of growth and development of small enterprises

Small enterprises operating under conditions of uncertainty ought to introduce innovative solutions oriented towards their growth and development. As numerous studies indicate, small businesses are gradually intensifying their efforts to increase their ability to implement innovative changes. The aim of the chapter is to assess the impact of small enterprises’ propensity for innovative behaviour on their growth and development. Therefore, the following research hypothesis was formulated: A strong orientation of small enterprises towards innovative behaviour has a positive impact on their growth and development. To achieve the aim of the chapter, research was conducted among 400 small innovative enterprises in Poland by means of a survey questionnaire, using the CATI and CAWI techniques, in the period December 2017–January 2018. Based on the results of the research, the following conclusions were drawn: (a) the surveyed enterprises were characterised by strong orientation towards innovative behaviour; (b) the surveyed entities were characterised by very strong and strong development orientation, which may have resulted in the improvement of the performance of these entities in the form of growth mainly in such areas as productivity, sales, employment, and profits; and (c) there is a positive impact of the company’s strong orientation towards innovative behaviour on its development.