Regional Formation and Development Studies

Innovation and an innovative approach in management, education and leadership have been changing over decades, according to the dynamic world we are living in. Changes start at an individual level, with the personality, and only those who have changed themselves can start to lead others towards global change. The Latvian National Development Plan defined aspects of polycentric development for all the regions of Latvia. Each region has resources, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, but human resources are the most important resource for change, creative ideas and sustainable development. The education system changes very slowly, from lecture learning to a more inclusive ‘learning by doing’ approach. This approach has been used in northern countries for a while, but Latvia has just now started to implement the approach. The term ‘innovation’ today is wider than product, process, service or organisational innovation. At a national and regional level of development, it is crucial to encourage inhabitants of the region to stay in or return to rural areas, and create knowledge and enterprises in the region and their home town.The aim of the paper is to evaluate the involvement of residents in management activities and regional development processes, and their willingness to participate in the creation of knowledge and innovative entrepreneurship and co-creation. The paper is a review of literature on theoretical aspects of the creation of innovation in the region in a combination of survey analyses of residents. The methodological approach is based on two steps: a review of research literature, and an analysis of the results of a survey of residents of the region of their willingness to be involved in processes and tasks for regional development, and some aspects of analysis of entrepreneur opinion about innovative solutions in their companies. The article consists of four main parts: 1) the theoretical findings of a systemic approach to innovation and development; 2) the role of the innovation process in development from different perspectives; 3) an analysis of a survey of the region’s residents about their willingness to be involved in processes of regional development; 4) aspects of innovation used in regional entrepreneurship. The significance of the paper is to define aspects of regional development relating to innovation and co-creation.

To manage competitiveness, an objective assessment tool is required. An error in choosing a measurement method can lead to the adoption of erroneous management decisions. The purpose of the article is to assess the competitiveness of light industry enterprises in Ukraine, to identify factors ensuring their competitiveness, and to develop recommendations for determining the feasibility of investing in the procurement and implementation of modern innovative technologies. The article summarises the views of the scientific community on features of the development of industrial enterprises in current market conditions, and the need to attract modern innovative technologies as a component in increasing their competitiveness. In determining the level of competitiveness of enterprises, it has been suggested to take into account factors determining the level of information reliability and weapons. To evaluate the individual component competitiveness of the enterprise, it is proposed to calculate an integral assessment based on the use of taxonomic analysis. An analysis of the innovative activities of Ukrainian industrial enterprises has been carried out. A flow chart determining the feasibility of purchasing innovative specialised equipment has been developed; it will simultaneously maximise the likelihood of attracting investment capital, with the simultaneous establishment of business cooperation with state authorities and local government.

Šiame straipsnyje analizuojamas regiono asmens sveikatos priežiūros įstaigų (ASPĮ) darbuotojų dalyvavimas pokyčių valdyme, įtraukimas į šį procesą. Aptariama darbuotojų, dirbančių viešajame sektoriuje, įtraukimo į valdymą samprata, pateikiami empirinio tyrimo, atlikto regiono ASPĮ, rezultatai, atskleidžiantys pokyčių įgyvendinimą ribojančius veiksnius, darbuotojų dalyvavimo organizacijos pokyčių valdyme galimybes bei kliūtis. Nustatyta, kad darbuotojai mato savo dalyvavimo pokyčių valdyme prasmę, kai jaučia, kad tiesioginių savo vadovų yra skatinami ir įtraukiami į pokyčių valdymo procesą. Pateikiamos rekomendacijos, kaip gerinti pokyčių valdymą ASPĮ.