Innovation management processes, their internal organizational elements and contextual factors: An investigation in Brazil

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationships between internal organizational elements and the influence of contextual factors related to innovation management and its challenges. Four companies that have relevant product development activities in Brazil are studied. This topic was chosen due to the lack of empirical studies that analyze the reality of innovation practices in developing countries. Main results indicate the high interdependence between organizational context and consistency of innovation processes and the influence of organizational structures on how initiatives flow through innovation processes. Among the contributions for existing research and practice, two potential patterns of behaviour guided by two of the main challenges concerning innovation in the literature and in the case studies were identified: managing uncertainty and cross-functional orchestration.