Understanding the Influence of Culture on Product Innovation Endeavors

Aim of this work is to elaborate whether national culture poses an influence on how innovative endeavours are undertaken in micro, small and medium enterprises. To shed light on this in a focused manner, a range of micro, small and medium enterprises in the microfinance sectors of Germany and Kenya were selected and their innovation processes in regard to cultural coinage compared in a dual case study. Since culture is a complex concept, a comparative model was developed by the authors taking into consideration various perspectives and scientific contributions. This model was applied in analysing research findings to draw conclusions concerning the influence national culture might pose on innovative endeavours, in terms of new product development and the integration of concepts developed elsewhere. The interrelation of the concepts of national culture and product innovation in the service sector might offer interesting insights for sustainable business development. The comparison of innovative undertakings in an industrialized and a developing country and insights in the current state of project management approaches and microfinance in Kenya and Germany might also be relevant.