Inovação em Portugal. A importância de aprender com o fracasso

Abstract

: Innovationiscurrentlypresentedascriticalforthecompetitiveadvantageofcompaniesand countries. However, since innovation results from trial/error processes that are inherently uncertain and contextually framed, presents a high probability of failure. Based on the Community Innovation Survey, this study maps and characterizes innovation activities, including abandoned innovation, and its outputs (innovative and financial) of High-technology industry and Knowledge intensive services companies, operating in Portugal between 2008 and 2014, a period characterized by the socio-economic crisis. In this period, there is a reduction of the weight of companies that develop innovation activities and of their outputs. However, these decreases are less pronounced among firms that abandon innovation processes.Altogether,theseresultssuggestthatlearningfromunsuccessfulinnovationprojectscanbe criticalforthecompanies’ultimatesuccess.Thus,thedevelopmentofstrategiesthatfacilitatelearning along abandoned processes is critical to retain knowledge within companies.