Responsible Innovation in SMEs: A Systematic Literature Review for a Conceptual Model

Abstract

Responsible innovation has always been an important issue in discourses addressing the major challenges faced by humankind in terms of natural resource degradation, climate change, economic progress and societal well-being. However, its integration into industry is still in its infancy, and even more so when it comes to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The aim of this research is to use a systematic literature review to develop a conceptual model for responsible innovation and its relationship with SME performance, in connection with sustainable innovation and corporate social responsibility practices. A bibliometric analysis of 102 articles collected between 2000 and April 2020 from the Web of Science database was used, in addition to the systematic literature review using the Gephi and NVivo software. The study presents an overview of the articles, authors, and most influential journals and research clusters identified, and provides a solid conceptual framework to be applied in this field and in the context of SMEs.

Responsible Urban Innovation with Local Government Artificial Intelligence (AI): A Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda

“…Responsible innovation is vital in order to tackle the challenges our cities face, irrespective of whether they are related to natural resource degradation, climate change, economic progress or social welfare [27]. According to Von Schomberg [28] (p. 51), "responsible innovation is a transparent, interactive process by which societal actors and innovators become mutually responsive to each other with a view to the ethical acceptability, sustainability and societal desirability of the innovation process and its marketable products in order to allow for the proper embedding of scientific and technological advances in our society".…”

The Mediating Role of Responsible Innovation in the Relationship between Stakeholder Pressure and Corporate Sustainability Performance in Times of Crisis: Evidence from Selected Regions in China

“…Lubberink et al [ 7 ] further propose a framework for responsible innovation in a business context and provide practices conducive to the implementation of responsible innovation. In the business context, responsible innovation covers the whole process of enterprise innovation, including stakeholder participation and prediction at the beginning of innovation, reflection and introspection in the innovation process, and the conformity of innovation results with moral and social expectations [ 9 , 12 , 23 ].…”

“…Currently, corporate responses to sustainability issues are influenced by the sustainability concerns of a growing number of stakeholders, and responsible behavior has been recognized as essential for corporate success and survival [ 9 , 40 , 41 ]. Enterprises must clarify their important stakeholder relationships, systematically evaluate the impact of corporate actions on stakeholders, and then actively adjust their responsible behaviors to maintain a mutually beneficial strategic partnership with stakeholders or reconcile differences [ 12 , 42 ]. On the one hand, the action of enterprises responding to the demands of stakeholders helps enterprises mobilize and share the capital, knowledge and technology of stakeholders [ 43 ], which helps enterprises form strategic partnerships with stakeholders [ 10 , 14 ] while promoting the formation of specific environmental and social capabilities [ 10 , 14 ].…”

“…In summary, this study believes that enterprises establish a continuous, transparent and interactive innovation process consistent with social values, needs and expectations through responsible innovation [ 12 ]. The process can help enterprises anticipate and respond to ethical, social and environmental concerns, thus not only responding to the pressure of stakeholder expectations but also balancing economic efficiency gains with the need for social values.…”

“…Enterprises are an important source of innovation [ 8 ], but for enterprises that pay attention to efficiency and cost, whether and why they are willing to adopt responsible innovation activities is an issue to be discussed. In addition, researchers have focused on the evaluation criteria and content issues of responsible innovation [ 12 , 13 ], but pay little attention to its implementation path and mechanism, that is, there is a lack of research on the motivation and impact of responsible innovation in the business field.…”