CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR PRO-INNOVATIVE COOPERATION BETWEEN FIRMS-EMPIRICAL RESEARCH IN POLAND

Nowadays the idea of cooperation is said to be one of the key elements of modern management model that answers the challenges of global economy. This approach follows from the assumption that in todays highly complex and rapidly changing world, cooperation between firms has become an imperative for survival and success. It results from the fact that globalization calls for new ways to compete and demands a different philosophy of doing business. Old rules of strategic thinking probably will not be effective in the future due to the acceleration of technological development, the shortening of product life cycles, increasing difficulties in defining potential clients, markets and competitors. In the contemporary world enterprises act under permanent pressure of economic, technological, political and social changes. In such unstable circumstances the issue that become significant is innovativeness. Increase of the enterprises ability to create and commercialize innovations today is the base for strengthening their competitiveness. The issues of innovations are essential for firms development and competitiveness. In times of dynamic spreading of New Economy conditions we can observe the change in the process of creating innovations. Market experience shows that quite frequently innovations are stimulated and created by developing close relationships with other enterprises. The paper addresses two tasks. The first part of the paper provides an theoretical overview of the idea of inter-firm pro-inovative cooperation and general conditions fostering its development. The second part of the article presents the research findings which indicate critical success factors for pro-innovative cooperation realized by Polish companies. The article high lights the importance of making pro-innovative relationships work. The major objective of the research findings presented in the paper is to find the answer to the question on what are the most important conditions enabling to accomplish all goals set by the partners for a specific pro-innovative relationship.