Socio−Demographic Factors of Innovative Capacity of IT Professionals in Small Regional Enterprises in Transition Economies

Abstract

The goal of the paper is to examine the influence of socio-demographic factors on the innovative capacity of small enterprises in regional aspect in Poland, a transition economy. The experimental research in the region of Opole concerned the relationship between global capacity for innovations and current socio-demographic features. The global capacity for innovations included perceiving innovations, introduced technical innovations, social competences, knowledge, skills of IT professionals. The socio-demographic features comprised company’s size, professional position, age, gender, education and firm location. Our findings showed support of innovation processes in small regional companies by developing social competences, knowledge and skills of IT professionals. The study confirmed also the influence of socio-demographic features on innovation capacity of enterprises. This study expands the existing knowledge stream on ICT innovation capacity development in relation to socio-demographic features in regional small and micro enterprises, in transition economies. The novelty comprised: the new questionnaire of innovation capacity ICT, a new look at innovation, from perspective of IT professionals – in relation to regional small and micro firms, in transition economies, as also applying the methods of passive optimal experiments design that allowed to verify sample representativeness, unique to this type of research.

Keywords: Socio-Demographic Factors, Innovative Capacity, IT Professionals, Small Regional Enterprises in Transition Economies.

JEL Classification: J00, J20, J30, J39, J40, M00, M50