Cultivating a Climate for Innovation in Emerging Markets: Strategies for Telecom Companies

Innovation management has aroused the interest of practitioners and researchers in recent years. It is crucial for organisations to create and foster a climate for innovation to enhance employees’ innovativeness. It is important to identify the practices, policies and procedures that enable organisations to implement new ideas. Emerging markets pose significant opportunities and challenges for organisations seeking to drive innovation and stay ahead of the competition. In these dynamic markets, cultivating the right climate for innovation is crucial yet complex. This chapter investigates and identifies dimensions of climate for innovation that enable and sustain innovation and creativity within an emerging market context, namely the Egyptian telecommunications industry. The chapter begins by examining the dimensions of climate for innovation in the innovation management extant literature. It then delves into the main practices required to foster a climate for innovation within an emerging market context. Drawing on examples and cases from the Egyptian telecommunications industry, the chapter provides a roadmap for organisations to assess their current practices, identify gaps, and implement processes and practices tailored to strengthen their capacity for innovation.