Innovation is regarded as the most important challenge for contemporary organisations. Traditional organisational forms were satisfactory in the relatively stable environments of the past decade. However, market globalisation, rapid technological developments, shorter production cycles and increasingly aggressive competition have altered the basic rules of competition dramatically in the 21st century. These vehement competitive forces pressure companies to innovate faster than before. Simultaneously caring for innovation and day-to-day matters appears to be one of the greatest difficulties for management.

Within the Dutch Innovation Debate, there is much attention for stimulating technological innovations. Yet, new technological knowledge arising from R&D investments only accounts for part of the innovative success. Next to technological innovation management capabilities and organisational principles turn out to be determining. Last year, the Erasmus Competition and Innovation Monitor, spread among 10,000 Dutch organisations, mapped differing management and organisational characteristics that determine the innovative power of enterprises. Through clever management and innovative organisation enterprises can build competences that contribute to successful innovation along with improving the competitive position.