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expenditure? The number of patents filed?The number of people working on researchprojects? Everyone knows, especially in SMEs,that this spending is not always accounted foras such. Furthermore, innovations aretraditionally measured in terms of products orservices, but not so much in terms ofmanagement innovations, for example.“Beyond innovation in the strict sense of theterm, SMEs and entrepreneurs are oftenvectors of many other changes, whethereconomic or social. You only need to thinkabout their role in terms of creating value,developing markets, organizational change orsocial innovations”, says professor Janssen.This vision of the entrepreneurial company asa “gazelle” is eminently Anglo-Saxon, he adds.From a European viewpoint, it is noticeablethat strong growth remains the exception. Theaverage size of an SME in Europe is sevenpeople. Why are they small? Because of whatis known as the “comfort threshold”, beyondwhich the entrepreneur has to start todelegate. Americans would tend to describethis as lifestyle business, but this does notmean a lack of innovation.Everyone has the right to“crash and burn”In a world that is ever more globalized,meaning that knowledge spreads faster andfaster, we might wonder whether innovation isbecoming increasingly difficult. How can youstill be original when you are operating in aglobal market?Frank Janssen sees one answer to thisquestion in the individualization of our tastesand consumer choices, which creates niche‘CEO WALLONIA EXPORT ANDINVESTMENT AGENCY’markets. “Niches mean innovation”, he says.“I really don’t think that the human race hasreached the limit of its knowledge. Scientificcommunications are increasing at anexponential rate, and researchers arecommunicating more and more. Thanks to theInternet, teams are being put together on aninternational level and I see exchanges ofideas accelerating more and more.”What does this acceleration mean? “We willmove towards shorter and shorter cycles ofproducts and services, with a greater rotation.The current market crisis will certainlyaccelerate this phenomenon, and alsoperhaps attract more young people towardsentrepreneurship at the same time. The bankshave taken a hit and the crisis has impactedon the real economy. Waves of layoffs willincrease necessity-driven entrepreneurship.Having control of your own destiny, workingfor yourself… these are the values that aremaking a comeback.”Clearly, along with this renewal of ourvalues, a sociological change is also required.The fact that people who fail are vilified is areal obstacle. Our laws, the way in which wemake judgments, and so on: all this mustchange. “We all have the right to crash andburn!” ■Three questions forPhilippe SUINENWallonia has embarked upon a policy of clustering.What are the results so far?There are now 14 clusters spanning 900 companies, operating inextremely varied areas ranging from aeronautics toeco-construction, by way of clinical research, solid waste, transportand logistics, and so on.Is clustering effective on an international level?Yes, because all the Walloon clusters are engaged in internationalactivities. For example, the solid waste cluster is involved inprojects in Spain and Portugal. The Eco-construction cluster istaking part in around ten projects with foreign partners. I could listmany different examples.What role does innovation play in the internationalizationof our SMEs?Innovation is very important in terms of a company’scompetitiveness when it comes to identifying new shares of themarket and niche products. We support innovation throughbusiness clusters but also through the competitiveness clusters.IN BRIEFAlong with necessity-drivenentrepreneurship andopportunity-drivenentrepreneurship, theresearchers at the LouvainSchool of Management alsodistinguish a third category :leisure entrepreneurship.For example, people whocarry on a professionalactivity after retirement inorder to maintain theirnetworks of contacts andremain active. It also seemsthat necessity-drivenentrepreneurship createsless employment and is themost fragile category.TO FIND OUTMOREThe InternationalFrancophone Conference onEntrepreneurship and SMEsis the most important eventorganized by theInternational Association forResearch onEntrepreneurship and SMEs.The Association was createdin 1996, based on theobservation thatmanagement researcherswere increasingly fascinatedby the managementdynamics of small andmedium-sized enterprises.This is still a very youngresearch paradigm.- The 2008 Conference:www.uclouvain.be/cifepme.html- The InternationalAssociation:web.hec.ca/airepmeDynamisme December 2008 .15