تاثیر رهبری بر نوآوری کسب و کار کوچک  The impact of leadership on small business innovativeness

1. Introduction A firm’s success often depends on its ability to innovate. In fact, creativity and product innovation is a common goal of many organizations (Cooper, 1999) and is necessary for growth and survival (Schumpeter, 1942). The numerous practitioners as well as academic publications involved in a study of innovation illustrate the prominence of this area. The importance placed on innovation manifests in the common practice of research and development departments and even the incorporation of innovation in organization missions (Bart, 2004). While entrepreneurship research often focuses on innovation and creativity, little is known about how small business leaders create an environment that enhances innovation. The main objective of our study is to explore the role of leadership in fostering new product innovation within small businesses. Specifically, we aim to identify leader characteristics that are positively associated with small business innovation. This study begins by describing the crucial role of new product innovation on firm survival and success. Next, we provide a review of established antecedents to new product innovation regardless of firm size and draw upon leadership theory to predict how small business leaders may influence innovation. Results and implications of our study are discussed subsequently. Firms, particularly small firms, need to be innovative to survive (Cefis, 2005). In general, however, when firms experience initial success resulting from innovation, leaders turn their attention towards efficient production and selling of their products or services, potentially at the expense of ongoing innovation. This seemingly prudent decision may unintentionally cause firms to become one-hit wonders, effectively limiting their potential success over time (Mazzei, Flynn & Haynie, 2016). Cefis (2005) suggests firms benefit from an innovation premium that extends their life expectancy.