Proactive orientation effects on product innovation activities: Empirical evidence

Do the antecedents and outcomes of a proactive market orientation contribute significantly to enable the discrimination of firms according to their product innovation results? An empirical investigation of 2,038 Spanish firms, stratified by sector of activity and size, reveal two interesting conclusions. First, the philosophical principles that determine a proactive market orientation and its strategic implications also foster the development of new products. Second, the firm's sector of activity determines the strength of each antecedent factor. This article therefore provides strategic recommendations for improving the management of innovation processes.