AVALIAÇÃO DA CAPACIDADE DE INOVAÇÃO DAS EMPRESAS INCUBADAS NA REGIÃO CENTRO-OESTE DO BRASIL

Abstract

This study aims to estimate the degree of the innovation of companies that are residents in incubation programs at institutions located in the Midwest Region of Brazil. In order to reach this purpose, it was performed a descriptive qualitative research and mixed methods studies, updated bibliographic review and, the application of field census questionnaires in the totality of the resident enterprises participating in the program in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Distrito Federal. The Radar of Innovation questionnaire, used in this study, was developed by Bachmann and Destefani and it is used by the Sebrae in the local agents of innovation program. Composed of closed questions whose goal was to map 13 dimensions of business operation, it was addressed to the managers of the companies who constitue the population analyzed in this study, in order to obtain the profile of each undertaking; thus, evaluating their level of innovation and, consequently, describing the importance of monitoring performed by incubators for their development. The present study is based on other studies that used the same method, and allows to classify the degree of capacity of companies’ innovation in: little innovative, occasional innovative and systemic innovative. It was concluded that the Midwest Region is occasional innovative and that the methodology is suitable to fulfill this purpose, besides it has proved to be a good management tool for the managers of the incubators to measure the development of the activities offered to the entrepreneurs.