Znaczenie innowacji w rozwoju przedsiębiorstw
The importance of innovation for the development of enterprises

Summary/Abstract: nnovation determines change in the functioning of the enterprise. It is initiative, which can contribute not only to survival, but also to achievement of an organisation’s competitive advantage, which should then translate into market success. The indicated effects are related to the phenomenon of organisational development, which is characterised by a huge complexity of manifestations. Both innovation (experiment) and development (quality changes) are associated with change, transformation, and a new way of functioning. Therefore, it is important to identify and explain the relationship between these states in the organisation. The aim of the study was to analyse the importance of innovation in business development (based on expert opinion). The following research methods were used at the data collection stage: desk research and focus group interviews. However, elements of descriptive statistics, cross-sectoral correlation coefficient (to assess the agreement of expert opinion) and Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient were used to analyse the research results. The research was conducted in May and June 2023. The research group consisted of 32 experts. On the basis of the research carried out, it can be indicated that the development of enterprises (perceived as a qualitative change in activity and improvement of image), was the most important reason for the implementation of innovation in enterprises (with the highest average of the experts’ evaluations: 4.13, and the highest share (53.13%) of the highest ratings in the structure of responses). Furthermore, referring to the effects of the innovation introduced in the organisations, development of the company was also characterised by the highest ratings – both in the case of the average rating, 4.19, as well as the largest share (40.63%) of the highest ratings in the opinion of experts. In connection with the above, it can be concluded that, on the one hand, the desire to develop an enterprise is a motive for implementing innovation, while on the other hand, development is the result of innovative activity in the organisation. A statistically significant consistency of the expert’s assessments was obtained for the whole group of subjects. At the same time, innovation is perceived by the experts as a key element of an organisation's development, allowing it to increase its competitiveness, improve quality, reduce costs and enable adaptation to market changes. The presented research results enrich the knowledge about potential innovation in the context of enterprise development. Establishing a cause-and-effect relationship makes it possible to stimulate the development of the organisation more effectively, while placing emphasis on innovative activity in a broader context will contribute to an increase in the innovativeness of Polish enterprises.

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