Strategic innovation decisions and innovation capabilities: Decision and action models

In this paper we argue that the innovation strategic decisions cannot be considered firm capabilities. The recurrent character of capabilities would halt the change processes of the firm. Thus, a gap is identified between the strategic decisions of the firm and its strategic capabilities. The firm strategic capabilities are the set of actions that the organization actually carries out in order to implement innovation management as a basis for searching firm´s strategic objectives. Moreover, an innovation strategic decision expresses what a company wants to be capable to do. What the firm wants to be capable to do is a programmed sequence of decisions of allocation of internal and conditional coherence of those capabilities which are designed to meet the innovations objectives of an organization. Strategic decisions relate to the existing capabilities of the firm and the results of these decisions are determined by the relationship between different types of capabilities. The model presented in this paper shows the decisions that the firm should consider to drive innovation from a set of innovation capabilities arising from the literature. From this perspective, a set of specific criteria is identified for decision making about building innovation capabilities for the company.