Customer participation in innovation processes of inventors and SMEs

Abstract

Recent literature on the background factors to innovations has dealt with the necessity of involving customers in the innovation process for better customer service. A literature review is followed by the empirical findings of this paper based on national innovation statistics and data from two regional surveys on the innovation environment of Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises. In all three statistics, customers emerge as important partners and information sources in SMEs’ innovation processes. Additional material from two case study SMEs active in innovating and of three inventors, all five working in the machine manufacturing sector, also shows that customers play an important role in the innovation processes of SMEs which target towards business success. On the other hand, inventors, often less devoted to profit-oriented business, involve customers less in developing their inventions than do the SMEs.