Barriers and drivers to business growth and innovation: The example of Polish companies

Abstract

The aim of the article was to analyse the factors and barriers influencing the growth and innovation of Polish enterprises. The author analysed the factors favouring and barriers limiting the growth and innovativeness of Polish enterprises, presenting the results of an empirical study conducted among 70 companies of different sizes. The sample in the study was selected in a stratified random way, taking into account such strata as: company size, sections of PKD (Polish Classification of Activities). The article is research-analytical in nature, based on a literature review, secondary data analysis and a survey that applied quantitative research techniques (CATI). The thesis of the article indicates that the level of innovativeness of Polish companies varies strongly depending on the size of the company, and that the development of innovation is limited by, among other things, lack of financial resources, insufficient research and development infrastructure and low cooperation between companies and scientific institutions. The findings also reveal that internal resources of firms, such as human capital and adaptability, and external factors, such as regulatory stability and access to finance, are crucial for the implementation of innovation. The author concludes that effective elimination of barriers and active use of factors supporting innovativeness can significantly increase the competitiveness of Polish companies on the domestic and international markets.