Innovation in Entrepreneurial Organizations
The nature of entrepreneurial organizations is that they have the capabilities and competencies to create a culture of embedded behaviors that support the constant focus on identifying and subsequently taking advantage of profitable opportunities. In other words, they exist to find and take advantage of opportunities that have the highest potential return. Bateman (2010) states that, “…an entrepreneurial venture has growth and high profitability as primary objectives. Entrepreneurs manage aggressively and develop innovative strategies, practices, and products” (p. 238). Entrepreneurial organizations do this by being willing to try new things, challenge the status quo, and test out new processes. They encourage creativity, risk taking, and continuous learning and improvement. However creativity must then be harnessed and developed by innovation and it takes innovation to turn great ideas into something of value. Thus innovation should be considered fundamental to an entrepreneurial organization’s success. What then is innovation? Bruton (2012) says it well when he concludes that innovation is, “…a process of intentional change made to create value by meeting opportunity and seeking advantage.” (Innovation, para. 1). And although product innovation is a very important aspect of their business, it is only one area that entrepreneurs are interested and excited about. Rasmussen (2013) explains, “The very nature of innovation is changing dramatically in most companies. Innovation is no longer confined to product development. It is also a matter of creating new services, business models, partnerships, and customer experiences” (para. 12). Consequently there are a number of areas in which entrepreneurial companies seek innovation. Innovation in these organizations take many forms including providing growth opportunities, lower