A Case Studies on the Success Factors of Innovative SMEs

혁신 형 중소기업의 성공요인에 관한 사례연구

To achieve the age of 30,000 dollars GNP, The business with speed will hold a more crucial point than the business with scale, and the mass consumption market will be transformed and changed into the niche market. Moreover, it will not be easy for the company without the peculiar and creative technology to survive in the severe competition. Under these circumstances, The innovative company which knows how to use this new paradigm will select the better position in the changing market. Innovation type SMEs are contributing in maintaining the international competitiveness of domestic economy by serving high-tech and the promotion of employment. Also, Innovation type SMEs have the most important economic leverage in our domestic economy. It's a source of the growth in domestic economy. Therefore, A lot of countries have been trying to support innovation type SMEs (with a small capital and high-tech). And many countries also try to protect and promote the innovation type SMEs. Especially the Korean government is also promoting innovation type SMEs in many ways, because the future of innovation type SMEs are not bright. This study explored the three innovative SEMs and studied 1) entrepreneur characteristics, 2) the industry environment, 3) competitive strategies, and 4) resources and capabilities of organization, which have been considered as the success factors for entrepreneurial firms. This study also holds that the characteristics of entrepreneurs is one of the most important factor to impact the success of innovative SMEs. Most of entrepreneurs have started their business with high education career and field experiences and have high intentions in developing new/high techonologies, challenging spirits, and clear vision and goals. The innovative SMEs with small kinds of products and services, narrow market, and small resources are more sensitively impacted by the environment especially. But the SMEs which entered into market early could have the comparative excellencies in their market to survive and grow in the future. They also have competitive advantages in the market using differentiation strategies by technology innovation. Technology innovation and differention strategies are one of the success factors in SMEs, They entered into the niche market using this weapons. The capabilities of changing organization to their changing environment, the open orgarnization culture, the continuous employment education, and the building the organic organization are also success factors of innovative SMEs. The SMEs with the simple organization structure can make fast decisions and operate with the autonomous and flexible ways. These only three cases will not shown successful factors of over 12,000 Innovation type SMEs in Korea and this study of Innovation type SMEs is insufficient from all aspects. But this study have many implications for the future research and the entrepreneurs ready for their business.

과학기술의 발전과 정보화와의 급진전을 토대로 기술적 지식이 가치창출의 핵심요소로 대두됨으로써 기업환경이 급속한 변화하고 있다. 이러한 환경 하에서 생존하고 성장하고 있는 혁신 형 중소기업에 대하여 관심을 갖고 이들의 생존과 성공비결을 연구하는 것은 중요한 연구과제가 아닐 수 없다. 본 연구는 이러한 혁신 형 중소기업의 성공요인에 대한 선행 연구를 고찰하면서 많은 선행 연구들의 이론적 고찰을 경험하였다. 이러한 선행연구를 바탕으로 사례연구를 위한 이론적 모형을 설정하고, 이를 바탕으로 실제 사례를 통해 검증해 봄으로써 혁신 형 중소기업의 성공요인에 대해 보다 깊이 있게 접근할 수 있었다. 본 연구에서는 선행연구의 검토결과와 연구 과제를 토대로 도출된 주요 성공요인들인 기업가의 특성, 환경특성, 전략특성 조직의 자원과 역량특성 등을 중심으로, 재경부산하 신용보증기관에서 신용보증 받은 기업 중 안정된 성장세를 시현하고 있는 세 개 기업의 사례조사를 통해 검증함으로써 혁신 형 중소기업의 경영성과에 미치는 요인들을 탐색적으로 규명함으로써 혁신 형 중소기업 창업자 및 정책지원업무 관련자에게 시사점을 제공하고자 하였다.