Role of innovativeness in medium-size enterprises competitiveness: A case study of Kenyan medium-sized enterprises

Abstract

Innovativeness has been termed as the most crucial of the elements in today’s globalized and competitive environment. Firms focusing on innovativeness achieve not only competitiveness but also are able to sustain them for a longer period of time. The relevance of Mid-sized enterprises’ competitiveness and their sustainability cannot be overemphasized for Kenya’s macroeconomic development, especially in this competitive global economy. Despite the concerted effort with a focus on Mid-sized enterprises, researchers question the role of innovativeness in promoting the competitive advantage of the Kenyan economy and the role of innovativeness in the ultimate competitiveness of Mid-sized enterprises. Thus, the focus of this study was to fill the gap. A descriptive and exploratory research design was used. The study used the stratified random sampling technique to ensure representation according to the various sectors. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for analysis. The results show enough evidence that innovativeness positively and significantly influences the competitiveness of Mid-sized enterprises in Kenya. The study provides managers with information regarding the processes of shaping strategy and decision-making, which has implications for management stressing the importance of encouraging EO capabilities and focusing efforts on innovativeness to improve firm competitiveness advantage.