A configurational approach to innovation performance: The role of creativity

In this study, we analyze new ways of conceptualizing improvements in firms’ innovation by implementing the “right-factors configuration,” illustrated through an analog of a recipe and its ingredients. Specifically, we research the multiple combinations of three ingredients (creativity, innovation networks, and resources) required to accomplish the innovation recipe. Using a sample of firms from a Spanish science and technology park, we apply qualitative comparative analysis (QCA)—specifically, fuzzy-set QCA (fsQCA)—to test the importance of each component in technological and non-technological innovation. First, the results suggest a map of combinations of innovative ingredients with eight possible patterns. Second, they show that the only ingredient needed is the combination of a creative climate and creative intensity. Finally, the methods of obtaining technological and non-technological innovations differ. The implications for management and policymakers are discussed, and directions for future research are highlighted.