An Investigation into the Reciprocal Relationship of Incremental Innovation Processes and Organisational Structures' Evolvement in Project-Based Low-T

尽管低技术中小企业在全球经济中发挥着重要作用，但它们很少受到创新研究的关注。然而，它们占全球所有企业的99%，其中大多数是低技术组织（经合组织，1962年联合国教科文组织，1968年;戈丁，2009年）。在研究中占主导地位的是这样一种观点，即没有广泛的研究和开发支出的行业将不如其他经济部门具有创新性和活力（Rothwell等人，1974;曼斯菲尔德，1975）。这一论点建立在对创新的狭义定义之上，通常侧重于开发新产品或服务。因此，只有高度先进的技术产业在投资者和政府支持的基础上发挥了经济驱动力的重要作用（经合组织，1962年;教科文组织，1968年; Gatignon等人，二○ ○二年; Godin，2009年; Khar Kheng，June and Mahmood，2013）.低技术中小企业由于其规模、预算以及渐进式创新过程不同于激进式创新的创新过程这一事实，很难制定反映其研发支出的商业计划。因此，他们从政府和投资者那里得到的支持较少，导致增长和发展的机会很少（Oecd.org，2017）。激进式创新是为了开发新的东西，而渐进式创新是为了改进某个东西或解决某个问题。准确理解低技术中小企业的渐进式创新将突出创新外观背后的驱动因素，从而鼓励渐进式创新过程并在组织本身内部提供支持（参见Kwan等人，2018; Kremer，Villamor和Aguinis，2019）。此外，整个社会可以向技术含量低的中小企业学习如何创新，而无需在研发方面投入大量资金，因为并非每个社会都有创新和研究的预算，例如发展中国家（参见第15段）。Oecd.org，2017）。学习如何提供正确的环境和支持来促进渐进式创新，这意味着在没有高预算的情况下解决问题和改善现状，这不仅可以改变我们定义谁是创新者，谁不是创新者的方式。它可以帮助我们在创新的定义以及影响因素方面建立一个更全面的视角。今天，被判定为非创新是一种很容易做出的声明，决定不支持低科技企业，从而影响数百万人的生活（Oecd.org，2017; McCarthy等人，2018).组织似乎以不同的方式进行创新，因为它们受到组织结构的影响。一个组织的结构方式会影响他们如何处理他们的业务和创新（参见OECD，1962年;柯顿and Pender，1982年; Miron-Spektor，Erez and Naveh，2011年;安德森，Potocnik，and Zhou，2014年; OECD，2018年）。图3描绘了一个酒厂的价值链，展示了这些组织中出现的不同创新，酒厂2在酒厂环境和酒窖中具有创新性，而酒厂8的创新几乎出现在价值链的每个部分。也就是说，重要的是要承认，这个博士项目的重点不是判断组织是敏捷或等级制，此外，这项研究是关于创新和结构如何相互需要，并出现在不同的组织设置不同。总之，有限的研究已经出现了关于增量创新过程的影响力，在其关系到低技术中小企业的组织结构。这强调了深入调查的重要性，并有可能为组织和创新研究做出原创性贡献。研究人员希望为低技术中小企业渐进式创新和组织结构领域的当前讨论开发一种新颖而实用的价值，使企业能够了解他们如何创新，并能够获得支持和资金。

Despite their role in global economy, low-tech SMEs are seldom the focus of innovation research. However, they account for 99% of all businesses globally, with the majority being low-tech organisations (OECD, 1962 UNESCO, 1968; Godin, 2009). Predominant in research is the argument that industries without extensive spending on research and development (R&D) would be less innovative and dynamic than other sectors of the economy (Rothwell et al., 1974; Mansfield, 1975). This argument is built on a narrow definition of innovation often focusing on developing new products or services. As a result, only highly advanced and technological industries have achieved an important role as the driving force of the economy based on investor and government support (OECD, 1962 UNESCO, 1968; Gatignon et al., 2002; Godin, 2009; Khar Kheng, June and Mahmood, 2013).It is difficult for low-tech SMEs to develop a business plan that reflects their spending on R&D due to their size, budget, and the fact that the incremental innovation process differs from the innovation process for radical innovation. Consequently, they get less support form governments and investors leading to little opportunities to growth and development (Oecd.org, 2017). Radical innovation is done to develop something new while incremental innovation is done to improve something or solve a problem (cf. Norman and Verganti, 2014).A precise understanding of incremental innovation in low-tech SMEs will highlight the drivers behind the appearance of innovation resulting in encouragement of the incremental innovation process and support within the organisations itself (cf. Kwan et al., 2018; Kremer, Villamor and Aguinis, 2019). Moreover, society in general can learn from low-tech SMEs to innovate without an extensive spending on R&D as not every society has a budget for innovation and research i.e. developing countries (cf. Oecd.org, 2017). Learning how to provide the right environment and support to foster incremental innovation, meaning to solve problems and improve current situations without a high budget, cannot only change the way how we define who is innovative and who is not. It can help us to develop a more holistic perspective to innovation in terms of its definition as well as influential factors. Today, being judged as non-innovative is a declaration too easily made deciding over the life of millions of people by not supporting low-tech businesses (Oecd.org, 2017; McCarthy et al., 2018).Organisations seem to approach innovation differently, as they are influenced by their organisational structures. The way how an organisation is structured has an influence on how they approach their business and innovation (cf. OECD, 1962; Kirton and Pender, 1982; Miron-Spektor, Erez and Naveh, 2011; Anderson, Potocnik, and Zhou, 2014; OECD, 2018). Figure 3 depicts the value chain of a winery demonstrating innovation appearing differently within these organisations, Winery 2 is innovative in the winery environment and the wine cellar, while Winery 8's innovation is appearing nearly at every part of the value chain. That said, it is important to acknowledge that the focus of this PhD project is not on judging organisations of being agile or hierarchical, moreover this study is about how innovation and structures necessitate each other and appear differently in varied organisational settings.In summary, limited research has emerged regarding the influential powers of incremental innovation processes in its relationship to organisational structure in low-tech SMEs. This underlines the importance of in-depth investigations and gives the potential to make an original contribution to research in organisational and innovation studies. The researcher wants to develop a novel and pragmatic value for the current discussion in the field of incremental innovation and organisational structures in low-tech SMEs, enabling businesses to understand how they innovate and are able to gain support and funding.