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It has long been recognized that workplace innovation (WPI) leads to better business results and more fulfilling work environment in organisations. WPI practices are those that more actively involve employees in the decision-making processes, which is what differentiates them from the traditional management practices. They improve the skills and the work motivation of the workforce, thus fostering organizational culture which nurtures the innovation potential of enterprises. In times of crises, the innovation potential is critical for companies to survive. The COVID pandemic and the forthcoming economic crisis made WPI increasingly important for individual enterprises, but also for the economy at large. While at the EU level and in other EU countries national support schemes for WPI are in place, there are no such in Bulgaria and the awareness about these issues in the country is rather low.
The main objective of the project “Supporting workplace innovation among SMEs in Bulgaria: analysis and recommendations” is to identify measures to support WPI among SMEs in Bulgaria, as well as to increase societal awareness about the benefits of implementing such practices. For this purpose, the project envisages the following activities: i) exploring the factors which support/hinder SMEs to implement such innovation practices in their working processes via a survey and interviews with representatives of SMEs; ii) examining good practices for stimulating WPI in Europe and assessing their applicability in the context of Bulgaria; iii) consulting relevant institutions and business associations and discussing policies for supporting WPI among SMEs in the country; iv) developing an analytical report containing policy recommendations to relevant institutions. In the end of June 2021 the results of the project will be presented online. Wide media coverage of the results is also envisaged.
Contacts:
Zoya Damianova, arc@online.bg
The project “Supporting workplace innovation among SMEs in Bulgaria: analysis and recommendations” is implemented with financial support provided by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under the EEA Financial Mechanism, amounting to 9972 Euro. The main goal of the project is to identify measures to support workplace innovation among small and medium-sized enterprises in Bulgaria, as well as to increase societal awareness about the benefits of implementing such practices. It is funded by the Scheme for Small Initiatives under Thematic Priority No. 1: "Improving the democratic culture and civic awareness" of the Program "Active Citizens of Bulgaria Fund under the EEA FM 2014-2021". The project is implemented by the Applied Research and Communications Fund and will run until July 2021.
Policy Brief: Policy Measures for Stimulating Workplace Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Bulgaria, July 2021 (Adobe PDF, 167 KB)
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