Innovation, agile project management and firm performance: empirical evidence from high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises in China

While agile project management has become increasingly important for high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), each firm's performance varies greatly, due to different degrees of innovation capability and to the dynamics of the internal and external environments. Drawing on theories of resource-based view, innovation capability and agile project management, and equipped with a comparative analysis of two high-tech SMEs, we developed a theoretical model with six hypotheses. We then carried out empirical research, including the measurement of key variables, data collection and analysis, validity and reliability tests, regression analysis, and structural equation modeling, confirming five of the six hypotheses initially presented. The model developed in this study includes the different roles of innovation capability, considers project agility in promoting firm performance, and takes into account interactions with the innovation atmosphere and environmental dynamics. The results contribute to the development and refinement of the theory of project agility by presenting new findings in the field of innovation and environmental dynamics. The results also provide guidance to project agility practices of high-tech SMEs in China, improving those firms’ performance. The implications and limitations of this study are also discussed.Embora a gestão ágil de projetos esteja a ganhar importância para as pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs) de tecnologia de ponta, o desempenho de diferentes empresas varia consoante a sua capacidade de inovação e depende da dinâmica dos ambientes interno e externo em que elas se inserem. Recorrendo a teorias relacionadas com a visão baseada nos recursos, capacidades de inovação e gestão ágil de projetos, assim como com recurso à análise comparativa de duas PMEs de tecnologia de ponta, desenvolvemos um modelo teórico com seis hipóteses. Posteriormente, levámos a cabo investigação empírica, incluindo a medição de variáveis-chave, recolha e análise de dados e testes de validação e fiabilidade. Procedemos, ainda, a análises de regressão e à modelação de equações estruturais, confirmando cinco das seis hipóteses inicialmente estabelecidas. O modelo desenvolvido inclui diferentes funções da capacidade de inovação, considera a contribuição da agilidade de projeto para a melhoria do desempenho da empresa e tem em conta as interações com a envolvente de inovação e com as dinâmicas do ambiente. Os resultados alcançados permitem desenvolver a teoria da agilidade de projeto, apresentando contributos valiosos no campo da inovação e das dinâmicas do ambiente empresarial. Esta contribuição pode servir de guia às práticas de gestão ágil de projetos de PMEs de tecnologia de ponta na China, melhorando o seu desempenho organizacional. As implicações e limitações deste estudo são também apresentadas

The impact of information technology resources on SMEs' innovation performance

This work aims to develop a research framework to examine the impact of information technology resources on the innovation performance of Saudi small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs innovation capability influences growth and technological progress (Bruque & Moyano, 2007). However, many developing countries exhibit moderate or even low innovation performance. For instance, Saudi Arabia is ranked 54th by the Global Innovation Index (GII 2011). Innovation systems studies focus on the alignment between the interactions of innovation actors with their constantly changing environment toward better innovation performance (Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff, 2000). The dynamic capabilities of organisations have been highlighted as a crucial characteristic that helps to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage (Teece et al., 1997). The indirect impact IT resources on innovation performance represents an attractive research area (Benitez-Amado et al., 2010). Therefore, we argue that a closer look at Saudi SMEs information technology resources and their impact on the firm dynamic capabilities and innovation performance would make a significant contribution to existing knowledge. Areas such as the organisation strategies of developing countries, innovation management, dynamic capabilities, open innovation and strategic information systems are few examples of areas that might benefit from this work

An introduction of small-scale intelligent manufacturing system

Embargoed OA, manuscript version after 24 months from publishing date. Link to publishers version: http://doi.org/10.1109/SIMS.2016.7802896Manufacturing companies in Northern Peripheral and Arctic region are predominately small and medium-sized and face considerable challenges like geographical isolation and a lack of benefits offered by industrial clusters. For the ultimate goal of enhancing their competitiveness in a global market, it is imperative for companies to innovate or adopt innovations in order to quickly response to changes in market, meet customer demands, reduce time-to-market and lower cost. A novel concept for small-scale intelligent manufacturing systems (SIMS) is introduced, in which diverse methods and innovative technologies can be applied and integrated. This paper gives an introduction of SIMS, defines its design objectives, and summarizes major relevant tools, techniques and paradigms for the development of SIMS, to generate a facilitative environment for small and medium-scale manufacturing enterprises to embrace new and innovative technologies

The Impact of Strategies in Supply Chain Management for Better Performance in Manufacturing SMEs in Aguascalientes

This research aims to analyze the impact of the implementation of strategies in the the Supply Chain Management (SCM), Manufacturing for SMEs in Aguascalientes may have a higher yield. The analysis was performed through the design of an assessment tool aimed at managers through an empirical study in the period from August to December 2013. The methodology has been quantitative approach, as well as correlational and descriptive the sample is random. The expected results are intended to influence the decisions taken by the managers in their organizations to the SCM is still complex, it is more efficient through the implementation of strategies for increased output in manufacturing SMEs in Aguascalientes. In this sense, the expected results intended sizing how important the integration of strategies is in the practice of the SCM, and in turn, the impact of this influence on the Performance of Manufacturing SMEs. In this study, structural equation modeling technique was applied to support software EQS 6.

Determining information systems contribution to manufacturing agility for SME's in dynamic business environments

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Since the concept of agile manufacturing was coined in the early nineties, the study of the contribution of information systems to agility has lacked a thorough analysis. Information systems have been labelled in the academic literature as critical, key and important in achieving and supporting agility. On the other hand, there is a large number of documented cases where IS have failed to deliver expected benefits. The aim of this study has been to determine the contribution of information systems to manufacturing agility. This study required the development of a research survey with the purpose of testing seven IT/IS proficiency characteristics of agility, three characteristics of a dynamic business environment and the type of IS applications used in manufacturing organisations. The analysis of the survey suggested that the business environment does not exert great influence on the IT/IS proficiency characteristics; also no association was found with the use of a specific type of manufacturing IS and the IT/IS proficiency characteristics. The results of the analysis of the survey were further expanded in a multiple case-study. Profitable SMEs with some agile processes in place participated in a multiple case-study that covered the agility of manufacturing and other business process, business and IT strategies, and skills and expertise of employees affecting the realisation of benefits of IS. The study revealed that information systems are neither the most important, the most overwhelming, the most difficult part of the equation to achieve agility nor are they principal enablers of manufacturing. Identified principal enablers of agile manufacturing include providing training to employees, right attitude of workforce towards change, having a flexible manufacturing base and people's knowledge and skills. Moreover, the use of low performing information systems was not an impediment to moving towards agility. The results of the multiple case-study tend to indicate that information systems play a more significant role in enhancing agility once principal enablers have been implemented. Certainly, IS may be required to support manufacturing agility but that information systems are not sufficient to achieve it. The study revealed that skills and expertise of people were used as means to overcome the problems and shortcomings generated by low performing IS. A new taxonomy of enablers of agility has been defined, identifying IS as second-order enablers of agility. Also, a proposed new framework has considered the adoption of an IT strategy to influencing a business strategy as a mean of enhancing the agility of business processes already achieved through the implementation of principal enablers

Naming the Pain in Requirements Engineering: A Design for a Global Family of Surveys and First Results from Germany

For many years, we have observed industry struggling in defining a high quality requirements engineering (RE) and researchers trying to understand industrial expectations and problems. Although we are investigating the discipline with a plethora of empirical studies, they still do not allow for empirical generalisations. To lay an empirical and externally valid foundation about the state of the practice in RE, we aim at a series of open and reproducible surveys that allow us to steer future research in a problem-driven manner. We designed a globally distributed family of surveys in joint collaborations with different researchers and completed the first run in Germany. The instrument is based on a theory in the form of a set of hypotheses inferred from our experiences and available studies. We test each hypothesis in our theory and identify further candidates to extend the theory by correlation and Grounded Theory analysis. In this article, we report on the design of the family of surveys, its underlying theory, and the full results obtained from Germany with participants from 58 companies. The results reveal, for example, a tendency to improve RE via internally defined qualitative methods rather than relying on normative approaches like CMMI. We also discovered various RE problems that are statistically significant in practice. For instance, we could corroborate communication flaws or moving targets as problems in practice. Our results are not yet fully representative but already give first insights into current practices and problems in RE, and they allow us to draw lessons learnt for future replications. Our results obtained from this first run in Germany make us confident that the survey design and instrument are well-suited to be replicated and, thereby, to create a generalisable empirical basis of RE in practice