CEO characteristics and the Doing-Using-Interacting mode of innovation: a new upper echelons perspective
通过40家德国非研发型中小企业的定性访谈，研究CEO如何通过价值观和认知基础影响做-用-互动模式下的创新活动，发现CEO是学习机制与创新绩效之间的重要调节和中介变量。
Little is known about how, and through which characteristics, CEO effects DUI mode innovation activities in SMEs. Thus, we connect the DUI mode concept with business management research and use data from 40 qualitative interviews in German non-R&D-based, but innovative SMEs. Applying the upper echelon concept as an analytical framework our results show that the CEO acts as an important moderator and mediator between DUI learning mechanism and innovation performance. In particular CEO’s values and cognitive base may help to increase innovation activities of the employees. Our paper is the first that empirically applies CEO’s psychological attributes of the upper-echelons concept to DUI innovations in non-R&D SMEs. We have developed a new version of the upper echelons model as well as hypotheses gained from the qualitative data analysis that are ready to be tested with quantitative procedures to improve the upper echelons theory concerning DUI-led innovation processes in SMEs.