Communicating innovation: An appreciative inquiry investigation into innovation in China

Abstract

The thesis considers that the intersection of creativity, innovation management, and communication are under researched in China. It seeks make a contribution to this area through exploratory research in a range of companies in Wenzhou, a south-east city in Zhejiang province, China. By researching firms across different sectors, and through analysing the companies‟ experiences of innovation generation and implementation, this thesis offers findings in a range of areas including: the apprehension of successful innovation, innovation and top leadership, and the relationship between innovation and customer value creations. The main findings indicate several aspects of innovation in China. First, Chinese enterprises considered successful innovations as those can bring profitable growth. Second, top leadership drives innovation and has the greatest influence on corporate innovation in Chinese enterprises. Third, although few companies in Wenzhou have created new products, or new markets, an increasing number of customer-oriented innovations occurred in recent years in Chinese enterprises. In addition, investigations on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) after the field research, reveals that Chinese state-owned enterprises may be promoting similar ideas in relation to innovation and CSR. To sum up, this research project provided an insight into recent perceptions of innovation, innovation readiness, and innovation achievement by Chinese enterprises in Wenzhou.