Perceptions of barriers to innovate in Colombian manufacturing firms: an analysis by technological intensity

TLDR: In this paper, the authors investigated the factors that impede innovation in Colombian manufacturing firms, as measured by the level of technological intensity, and found that potentially innovative firms of low technological intensity are more likely to ascribe high importance to obstacles associated with information and internal capabilities, when compared with innovative firms.

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that impede innovation in Colombian manufacturing firms, as measured by the level of technological intensity. Design/methodology/approach The authors used data from 1,850 firms to determine the barriers associated with information and internal capabilities, risks and environment. Findings The main results of this study confirm that potentially innovative firms of low technological intensity are more likely to ascribe high importance to obstacles associated with information and internal capabilities, when compared with innovative firms. The abandonment of innovative projects, family-operated enterprises and investment in R&D are all related to an increased perception of obstacles to innovation, while investments in information and communication technologies have an opposite effect. Variables as partnerships and export behaviour, have different effects depending on the level of technological intensity. Originality/value This study investigates the obstacles to innovation of a firm as determined by its characteristics and as measured against its level of technological intensity. Previous studies have investigated barriers to innovation in technologically advanced sectors (Lachman and López, 2019) and technology-based SMEs (De Moraes Silva et al. 2020) or how the technological intensity of the firm determines access to university knowledge for overcoming barriers (Kanama and Nishikawa, 2017). The only study to analyse barriers to innovation by measuring a firm’s technological intensity was conducted into Mexican manufacturing and services sector companies by Santiago et al. (2017).