| Abstract [eng] |
As the digital age accelerates, it becomes critical for companies to keep pace with technology and make bold decisions that increase business integration into the virtual environment. Researchers emphasize that the application of IT innovations is a complex and long process, often requiring considerable capacity and posing certain challenges. Analyzing previously conducted research, it has been observed that the application of IT innovations in companies is extremely significant for the performance results of companies. IT innovations can fundamentally improve the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises, but it is important to emphasize that the development and implementation of IT innovations can differ greatly depending on the business branch in which the SME operates. Uncertainty prevails in the markets, and from this arises the problem of whether the specificity and need for IT innovations is truly understood. From this, the research problem is formulated - how actively companies implement IT innovations and how this affects them. In the thesis, trends in the implementation of IT innovations in SMEs and potential opportunities for development were investigated. The research aimed to assess whether IT innovations are currently widely developed and implemented in Lithuanian SMEs, and if not, what are the possible reasons for that. 453 SME employees were interviewed for the research. It was found that IT innovations are still not a strategic activity of companies, they are implemented erratically. The main trend behind the introduction of IT innovations was the desire to automate company processes. Key problem areas - employees do not know about the possibilities of using support and lack of communication in the company. The biggest obstacles to the implementation of IT innovations were high competition and a lack of qualified employees. Proposals for the development of IT innovations were formed from the examined circumstances, such as participation in business acceleration programs, cooperation with other SMEs, and use of fundings programs. |
