Innovation in Australian Small and Medium Enterprises: Contributions from Strategic Human Resource Management

Abstract

Organisations are constantly seeking new ways to grow and prosper in a complex competitive world. Many companies achieve success by maintaining or increasing their rate of innovation, and organisational approaches to innovation vary according to industry and context. Innovation is a multi-faceted process that incorporates creativity, invention and commercialisation. Above all, innovation is a social process, where both individuals and systems are important dynamic elements. This paper provides a brief overview of innovation in the Australian context of small to medium enterprises, summarises some of the human resource and strategic contributions that assist organisational innovation, and proposes areas of future research. Findings confirm that innovative Australian SMEs display strategic human resource management related practices such as career development, ongoing learning and development and strategic rewards.