The role of top managers in determining investment in innovation: The case of small and medium-sized enterprises in India

Abstract

This article examines the role of top managers in shaping the innovation investment actions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India. Survey responses from 477 top managers of Indian SMEs suggest that investment in innovation is influenced by top manager perceptions of innovation opportunity attractiveness, as well as ability to appropriate innovation investment value. Specifically, the results indicate an inverted U-shaped relationship between top manager entrepreneurial orientation and firm investment in innovation. They also suggest that top manager perceptions of environmental munificence, firm resource management capabilities, and organizational controls are positively related to firm investment in innovation.