Abstract:
Globally Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have become engines for growth and most of these
successful entities have grown into bigger companies through innovation. From the emerging economies
perspective literature is scant on innovation especially in manufacturing SMEs and how they can
leverage on it for success. This study sought to assess innovation in SMEs into furniture manufacturing
in Zimbabwe. As SMEs seek to grow into larger firms, their ability to innovate becomes their key
achievement if they remain operational. Though it is difficult to understand and collect information about
SMEs innovation capabilities in the emerging economies it is important to try and unpack how they can
leverage on some inherent characteristics they have as SMEs in developing economies. The study
adopted a qualitative multiple case study approach where a total of 24 SMEs were interviewed after they
were purposively sampled from the available database from the parent ministry. This study highlights the
need for SMEs to invest in design education, register industrial designs, and improve social media
presence, creation of clusters to lobby government support, and also training employees so that they can
add more value to the design activities during production. The study also advocates for more support
from government through design policy formulation that calls for active participation of all the SMEs
concerned. The study findings will assist to develop special programmes for manufacturing SMEs to be
innovative.
