Research subjects

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3.2 In-depth interview

Through in-depth interviews, interviewer can understand the real thoughts and feelings of targeting object in the research. Through in-depth interviews, author of the research collects more extensive, more in-depth information and more unexpected results than the onetime assessment such as questionnaire survey. The interview mainly focuses on the oral conversation between interviewer and respondents and mainly within spoken conversation in order to achieve an exchange of views and construction of ideas. Interviewers can analyze interviewees' motivations, thoughts, attitudes and insights into a certain topic through interviewing. This kind of

methodology is a positive social interaction. The interviewing data is the result of the interaction (Yin, 2003). There are three interview methods; structured interviews, unstructured interviews and semi structured interviews.

This paper uses a semi structured interviews. Whereas a structured interview is a highly control way to interview. Certain interviewing methods such as

questionnaires include questions, sequenced and then recorded. Semi structured interviews have three main characteristics. Firstly, there is a certain topic and few questions, but interviewer does not need to stick to those specific questions. Secondly, before the interview, the interviewer can schedule some online questions. But, when interviewing, interviewers can change or come out new questions in accordance with interviewees’ responses. The way to ask questions and the sequence of the whole process can also change without restriction. Thirdly, the interviewer does not need to use certain term or tone for interview, but according to the answer of respondent (Hollway and Jefferson, 2000). As for unstructured interviews, there is no certain topic, conversation between interviewer and respondents are carefree (Yin, 2003).

3.3 Research subjects

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) accounted for 98% of all firms in Taiwan and 78% of total employment in Taiwan in 2013, according to “Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs”. Additionally, high performance economies in the world such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, mainly depend on small and medium enterprises as their backbone, yet most of the research into innovation management has focused on large organizations. With the aim of this

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study focusing on Human Intelligence (HI) for innovative growing companies, the companies that are interviewed either have an innovated product or the team structure turn out to be different. Each company relies heavily on their HR to allow the

company to stand out among the crowd. Below are some brief backgrounds of the company.

3.3.1 Company A

Company A is classified in the manufacturing sector as a kitchen accessories manufacture, founded in 1995, Taiwan, New Taipei, selling their innovated product kitchen accessories, this product has been patented and currently the company is planning to start selling overseas (Japan, Korea, and United States). They currently only do partial manufacturing as other small parts such as magnets, steel frame and other material refinements are still outsourced. The current company size is 10 people including the factory floor. It used to be only a family-running business, but as the business grew, the product even spread into China Town, California. Before the company started branding their products, the products use to be sold in dingy

hardware stores, but once the products start to fly off the shelves, the company started its branding campaign. In the beginning it was only word of mouth advertisement, but as the business grew, newspaper and television advertisement started to appear, more importantly the rapid development of World Wide Web. Their most innovated and best-selling product by far is a protection filter for ventilators that is disposable and easy to change. Since similar products don’t seem to exist, thus they are the only reliable manufacturer for this product for the past 20 years.

Within the company there is the general manager (GM) /Founder, Factory Floor Manager, assistance general manager/Founder and engineer as shown in figure 6.

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Figure 6. Company A Structure

3.3.2 Company B

Company B is classified in the service sector as brand consultant, founded in 1997 as a magazine distributor, located in Taiwan, Taipei, with its core writing about start-up companies. Due to its fall in sales, in 1999 it transformed into a consulting company for start-up businesses that aides newly developed business that has an

“innovative” product. The company’s main service is corporate identity consulting, by combining marketing, advertising, design and internet. Nowadays it has once again changed its direction and aids businesses that have some years on the market. This company currently has two locations, one in Taiwan and the other in mainland China.

In this company there is a vast diversity of members, from creative thinkers such as writers and designers, to sales force, which is the consultant. They clients also vary, from engineers whom are developing information applications, to the creative fashion designers in clothing line. Right now they are developing into Mainland China, due to China being a developing country where SMEs are sprouting up all over the place, which is their target audience.

The interview was focused on the evolution of the Taiwan branch, which consists of an 8-people team, the general manager (GM)/founder, 2 vice general manager (VGM)/consultant, design art director/consultant, 2 activity project managers and 2 assistance consultants as shown in figure 7.

GM/Founder

Factory Floor

Manager AGM/Founder Engineer

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Figure 7. Company B Structure

3.3.3 Company C

Company C is classified in the service sector as visual design team, founded in 2010, their service includes brand identity, packaging design, web design, poster design, information system design and book design, currently located in Taiwan, Taipei. A 3-people company group that has won the Red dot Design Award in 2010 with innovative design in packaging for medicine. The service itself is doing

innovation for their client, aiding the clients to stand out among peers. The founder of this company was born and raised in America, giving this fact; it is not hard to

imagine that finding employees within Taiwan may pose a cultural difference, which results in communication barrier, since it was once an 8-man team, now down to only 3 once again.

The team includes art director, project manager and executive assistance as shown in figure 8.

GM/founder

Design Art Director/Consultant

Activity Project Managers

Assistance

Consultants

VGM/consultant

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Figure 8. Company C Structure