Product, Process and Organizational Innovation: Drivers, Complementarity and Productivity Effects

Many empirical studies have confirmed the positive impact of innovation on productivity at the firm level. The focus tends to be either on R&D driven techno-logical innovation on the one hand, or on organisational changes complemented by ICT on the other. To investigate the effect of different types of innovations on produc-tivity, we propose a model with two innovation input equations (R&D and ICT) that feed into a knowledge production function consisting of a system of three innovation output equations (product innovation, process innovation and organisational innova-tion), which ultimately feeds into a productivity equation. We find that ICT is an im-portant driver of innovation in both manufacturing and services. Doing more R&D has a positive effect on product innovation in manufacturing. Organisational innova-tion has the strongest productivity effects. We only find positive effects of product and process innovation when combined with an organisational innovation.