Abstract
The problems of small innovative business are in the focus of many recent research papers. Accumulated experience of empirical research is characterized by high heterogeneity. Nevertheless empirical data accumulation and formation of methodological approached have primarily importance for the current Russian researchers.
At the moment the contribution of Russian small firms to innovations is very low. At the same time in developed market oriented countries small companies are extremely important; they act as a main institution providing effective transfer of the fundamental research to real economy. High innovative activity is supported by flexibility and lack of bureaucracy, the possibilities of fast introduction of innovations. It is very important that entrepreneur doing small business doesn’t have any other way except innovations to improve his status and achieve growth.
Our main objectives are:
to identify the features of the innovation system which influence the incentives and obstacles for the development of small innovative firms; to compare the models of innovative firms development in the different institutional conditions; to analyze the role of government support (forms and instruments) in different stages of innovative firms growth in Russian transition economy.
Empirical part is presented by data collected through special questionnaires (20 questions) and personal interviews. The region of study in Russia was Novosibirsk Oblast and in USA – The State of Minnesota. 60 Russian firms and 30 American firms were involved in the survey.
Research methodology is based on the concept which suggests that the successful development of innovative firms is largely determined by several sets of factors including: human capital and management system, availability of markets, product competitiveness, institutional environment. For each set the typical barriers and success factors were proposed, which were estimated by respondents. Our approach includes differentiation between various stages of life cycle of the firm. The traditional statistical data processing methods were used.
The results show that the development of small innovative firms have common features in different institutional systems: special technological knowledge as a base for competitiveness and similar ranking of the barriers for development. At the same time there are apparent differences:
American companies have far more easy access to the resources;
Russian firms mostly are producers of goods/services which are located in the very beginning of technological chains and are appointed to B2B markets. American firms mostly are oriented to consumer markets;
a special role of trust and confidence fir Russian firms which is demonstrated by personal features and links of the leader/owner as the dominate success factor;
Russian innovative firms mostly needs the information signals from the government institutions about its priorities and plans.
Conclusion In general the organic growth of Russian small innovative firms is limited by the different barriers and mostly is connected with special innovative product/service. In order to expansion to the large innovative firm it is necessary to get access to new innovative ideas and special resources, which could be obtained from partnerships with different actors of innovation system.