Strategizing for firm excellence in Innovation: An exploratory study of entrepreneurial tendencies and behaviors in SMEs in Uganda

Abstract

The ability to innovate on a sustainable basis is a desirable, and yet, a rare skill that firms need to nature and develop amongst its business managers/owners and employees. This study was aimed at empirically exploring the Entrepreneurial Tendencies and Behaviors among the business persons that enable them to successfully innovate on a sustainable business. These could then inform managers on the kind of innovation-related behaviors to search for and nature among their human resources in the course of strategizing for firm excellence in Innovation. Responses where sought from business owners/managers and employees in SMEs established in the area with the highest business activity in Uganda (i.e. Kampala). The data collected from the surveyed 50 SMEs all of which had successfully existed for over a year as a test of sustainability were analyzed to extract the salient Entrepreneurial Tendencies and Entrepreneurial Behaviors that characterized the success of their businesses. Descriptive statistics were used. Based on the findings, this study identifies and proposes solutions, key policy interventions and approaches to be adopted for ensuring business sustainability in Uganda.