Using Innovation as a Tool to Enhance Sustainable Project Outcomes

A significant objective of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is to provide a critical framework for COVID-19 recovery. This process is achieved through 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 9, which focuses on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation. Innovation, particularly in the SME industry sector, is significant in developing sustainable engineering and technological developments and practices, thus fostering positive behavioural change in industry and the community. To improve the understanding of this process during the COVID-19 pandemic, research was undertaken to investigate the association between innovation practices in SMEs to better appreciate how innovation could be effectively used to enhance SMEs’ performance during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. A literature review assessed the impact that the COVID-19 crisis has had on SMEs’ performance, the role of innovation and the factors affecting its effectiveness. Subsequently, a survey was undertaken to collect and analyse data from 43 randomly selected SME engineering organisations in Australia with respect to their innovative processes during COVID-19. The research found that product, process, marketing, or management innovations have been introduced in SMEs where the COVID-19 pandemic occurred. These findings have led to the primary conclusion that enterprises affected by the COVID-19 pandemic introduced more innovative solutions than those not disturbed by the crisis. Furthermore, consumer behaviour and digital technology skills were confirmed to positively influence the effectiveness of innovation during the COVID-19 crisis. In conclusion, this research has demonstrated the importance of ongoing innovation in engineering organisations in times of crisis, both as an agent of change and to develop areas like positive consumer behaviour and the digital economy. Its results can, therefore, be used as a guideline on how innovation can effectively be used to enhance SME performance and thus positively impact the achievement of sustainable development.