Article: L’innovation en PME et son accompagnement par les TIC : quels effets sur la performance ?

F. DELTOUR, V. LETHIAIS

* Ecole des Mines de Nantes, laboratoire LEMNA
** Telecom Bretagne, laboratoire ICI, Marsouin

Abstract

Firms’ innovativeness and their ICT resources are seen as two factors of firms’ competitiveness. Our research tests these sources of performance in the context of small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) and examines possible synergies with ICTs supporting innovation. Our research is based on a double empirical investigation: a survey is conducted among firms in the region of Brittany (France), complemented with an online investigation of their financial performance. With a final sample of 1086 firms, we perform an econometric assessment of SMEs performance, explained by their innovativeness, their ICT resources (skills and assets) and the combined effect of their innovativeness supported by ICTs. The interaction variable capturing the combined effect constitutes the major methodological originality of our research. Our investigation shows that ICTs contribute to performance improvement when supporting innovations: SMEs’ innovativeness positively influences performance when it is accompanied by specific investments in ICTs or by more intensive use of existing ICTs in the firm. However, innovativeness and the level of ICT resources have a direct negative effect on SMEs’ financial performance. We discuss these results in the specific SMEs organizational context.