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came to the conclusion that innovative changes are the work of an individual
and not of a community. This led him to distinguish between:
– invention – a scientific fact providing innovative opportunities;
– innovation – the application of invention resulting in new technological
solutions;
– imitation – any simplification of innovation.
Imitation as defined by Schumpeter should be understood today as the processes
of innovation diffusion, which may be labelled copying or imitating.
These innovation processes are often of greater significance than the innovations
themselves. It should be underlined that these innovation processes are interlinked
with the technology transfer processes. However, according to Schumpeter,
innovation processes were not the activities connected with imitation.
Furthermore, Schumpeter believed that considering innovation diffusion processes
and social benefits resulting from innovation, only big corporations and
imperfect competition may create innovation processes. This understanding of
innovation processes has had to be revised as the highly competitive market
with participation of small companies can create innovations e.g., in the area of
high-tech 6 .
According to Schumpeter, economic development is determined by the fact
that innovation is erratic, complementary and forms a long chain of transformation
sequences; as innovation diffuses, the economy enters the state of imbalance;
innovations tend to concentrate in a specific time and place. According to
Schumpeter’s theory, economic development is dependent on three factors: innovation,
entrepreneur and bank credit 7 .
In macroeconomic terms, Schumpeter analysed mutual relations between
innovations and investment levels. On the basis of conducted studies, he came
to the conclusion that implementing innovations connected with greater capital
spending changes the allocation of production factors. According to the classical
definition of innovation presented by Schumpeter, we can assume that in terms
of the economy of a given country innovations mean a better allocation of resources
and a positive impact on economic growth and the ability to compete in
international markets. A similar opinion is expressed by P. F. Drucker who sees
innovation as a characteristic tool of entrepreneurship, a measure that gives resources
the drive for generating wealth. He is of the opinion that innovations
have more to do with the social and economic spheres than with the technical,
while at the level of an enterprise technical innovations are decisive. His studies
emphasise that the greatest economic resource is the purchasing power, which
is generated by entrepreneurs introducing innovations 8 .
6 E. Stawasz, Innowacje a ma³a firma, Wydawnictwo U£, £ódŸ 1999, p. 12.
7 J. A. Schumpeter, Teoria rozwoju.., op. cit.; S. Mikosik, Teoria rozwoju gospodarczego Josepha
A. Schumpetera, PWN, Warsaw 1993, pp. 74-83.
8 P. F. Drucker, Innowacja i przedsiêbiorczoœæ. Praktyka i zasady, PWE, Warsaw 1992, p. 39.
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