Full text of this article is only available in PDF format.

Matti Stendahl (email), Anders Roos

Antecedents and barriers to product innovation – a comparison between innovating and non-innovating strategic business units in the wood industry

Stendahl M., Roos A. (2008). Antecedents and barriers to product innovation – a comparison between innovating and non-innovating strategic business units in the wood industry. Silva Fennica vol. 42 no. 4 article id 239. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.239

Abstract

Increased competitive pressure from low-cost economies and substituting materials has raised the need for new strategies focusing on product differentiation in the Nordic wood industry. With the aim to identify factors that can facilitate increased product innovation activity, this study compared organizational characteristics and perceived barriers to product development among innovating and non-innovating strategic business units (SBUs) in the Swedish and Finnish wood industry. Multivariate analysis of data from a cross-sectional sample of 110 SBUs suggested that organizational size and educational level among white-collar workers are significant antecedents of product innovation activity. Furthermore, the difficulty of giving practical priority to development work in the everyday stress was identified as the most important perceived barrier to product development among managers in both innovating and non-innovating SBUs. A low competence level among the personnel and a low need to innovate was perceived to be the second most important barriers to product development among managers in, respectively, innovating and non-innovating SBUs. Practitioners who wish to increase product innovation activity in the wood industry are advised to promote an increased educational level in wood industry companies. They are further encouraged to seek ways to reduce the perceived barriers to product innovation identified in this study.

Keywords
product development; obstacles for innovation; innovation strategy; organization

Author Info
  • Stendahl, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Products, P.O. Box 7008, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail matti.stendahl@sprod.slu.se (email)
  • Roos, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Products, P.O. Box 7008, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail ar@nn.se

Received 12 February 2008 Accepted 16 May 2008 Published 31 December 2008

Views 7755

Available at https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.239 | Download PDF

Creative Commons License CC BY-SA 4.0

Register
Click this link to register to Silva Fennica.
Log in
If you are a registered user, log in to save your selected articles for later access.
Contents alert
Sign up to receive alerts of new content

Your selected articles
Send to email
Burton P. J., (2002) Effects of clearcut edges on trees in the sub-bo.. Silva Fennica vol. 36 no. 1 article id 566 (remove) | Edit comment
Metsätalouskomitea ., (1952) Development of land transportation of wood Silva Fennica vol. no. 73 article id 4623 (remove) | Edit comment
Westman C. J., (1981) Fertility of surface peat in relation to the sit.. Acta Forestalia Fennica vol. 0 no. 172 article id 7619 (remove) | Edit comment
Vuori E., (1913) Coniferous tree stands of the state forest “Vesi.. Acta Forestalia Fennica vol. 2 no. 1 article id 7528 (remove) | Edit comment
Heikurainen L., Keltikangas M. et al. (1963) Allocation of costs in joint forest drainage und.. Silva Fennica vol. no. 115 article id 4716 (remove) | Edit comment
Ahola V. K., (1937) Observations on forest management work in state .. Silva Fennica vol. no. 39 article id 4502 (remove) | Edit comment
Tertti M., (1937) Facilitating natural regeneration Silva Fennica vol. no. 39 article id 4486 (remove) | Edit comment
Kärhä K., (2012) Comparison of two stump-lifting heads in final f.. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 4 article id 915 (remove) | Edit comment
Tirkkonen O. O., (1952) Peatland drainage in Finland in the first half o.. Silva Fennica vol. no. 72 article id 4622 (remove) | Edit comment
Linnamies O., (1944) Forest resources and condition of the forests in.. Acta Forestalia Fennica vol. 52 no. 2 article id 7380 (remove) | Edit comment
Nuutinen Y., Väätäinen K. et al. (2010) Operational efficiency and damage to sawlogs by .. Silva Fennica vol. 44 no. 1 article id 165 (remove) | Edit comment
Hautamäki S., Mutanen A. et al. (2012) Substitution in the Finnish forest industry’s ro.. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 3 article id 51 (remove) | Edit comment
Goué N., Noël-Boizot N. et al. (2012) Microdissection to isolate vascular cambium cell.. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 1 article id 62 (remove) | Edit comment
Lowe J., Pothier D. et al. (2011) Snag characteristics and cavity-nesting birds in.. Silva Fennica vol. 45 no. 1 article id 31 (remove) | Edit comment
Zubizarreta-Gerendiain A., Pellikka P. et al. (2012) Factors affecting wind and snow damage of indivi.. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 2 article id 441 (remove) | Edit comment
Stendahl M., Roos A. (2008) Antecedents and barriers to product innovation –.. Silva Fennica vol. 42 no. 4 article id 239 (remove) | Edit comment
Your search results