The Impact of Digitalization Processes on the Innovative Activity of Small Industrial Enterprises

Abstract

Small enterprises are drivers of innovative development in most developed countries. Due to their specificity—flexibility, adaptability, on the one hand, and limited resources and dependence on the external environment, on the other hand—they have advantages and disadvantages in digitalization processes. Modern development takes place within the framework of Industry 4.0, the basis of which is digital transformation. Digitalization has brought global changes to the innovation processes in enterprises and has opened up previously unexisting opportunities for small enterprises. The aim of the work was to identify areas of influence of the digital transformation of the industry on innovation processes at small enterprises and their innovative activity. We identified factors of digital transformation that influence innovation processes at small enterprises, embedding them into digital innovation ecosystems. The article describes features of managing innovative processes at small enterprises in the context of digitalization. We carried out the analysis of digitalization, the level of digital maturity of the Russian industry; the analysis of the dynamics of innovative activity of small industrial enterprises in Russia; and highlighted its most innovatively active sectors. We carried out an inventory of state support measures aimed at digitalization and innovative development of small enterprises. Our research provides directions for improving the state policy on the digitalization of the economy from the point of view of developing an ecosystem approach to supporting innovative entrepreneurship.