Study: German Business in China | Page 24

German Business in China – Greater Shanghai Innovation Survey 2018/19 Over the next three years, does your Chinese entity expect an increase in … Translating strategy into action While 83% of surveyed manufacturing companies see innovation among their top three priorities, only 43% claim to have a welldefined innovation strategy. Having a strategy is crucial in that it helps to focus efforts around objectives and priorities. Without a welldefined strategy, companies risk misdirected efforts and resources. The survey results suggest a correlation between having a welldefined innovation strategy and innovation performance: while 65% of Top Innovators have a well-defined innovation strategy, only 36% of their less innovative peers do. One third of all surveyed manufacturing companies indicate to follow well-defined innovation processes. While 65% of Top Innovators claim to have well-defined processes for innovation, only 23% of the rest of the sample do so. Organizations with a well-defined strategy are more likely to follow well-defined processes – 77% of those with a well-defined innovation strategy have clear processes for innovation in place, but only 13% of those without a well-defined innovation strategy. 23