Factors Affecting Radical Innovation Emerging in Defense Firms

One of the necessities of consolidating defense superiority is the availability of emerging technologies resulting from radical innovations. Accordingly, this study was conducted with the aim of identifying the factors affecting the formation of radical innovations in the defense sector.

This research has been conducted with a qualitative approach using latent content analysis tactics and structured interview tools to explore the factors influencing the emergence of radical innovation in the defense sector. The statistical population of this research includes all experts of advanced R & D projects of defense technological firms. Purposive sampling method was used to select the sample.

Factors influencing the emergence of radical innovations include financial and human resources, laboratory infrastructure, prioritization mechanisms, project management, support processes, governance and structure, open innovation and networking, timing considerations, the requirements of working with the heroes of innovation and common understanding and language, which can be categorized into three categories of resources, values and processes.

Realization of radical innovations requires expending constant and extensive resources as well as employing expert procedures and processes, which support the achievement of these kinds of innovations. They should be used in the framework of those values encouraging the companies to invest in radical innovations.