Author(s): Musawenkosi Ngibe
The role of manufacturing SMEs is central to any country and, it can be argued, more especially to developing countries like South Africa. Thus, their diminishing contribution towards gross domestic product (GDP) in recent years has been a significant concern of the South African Government, and of investors and policy makers, and has led to additional support being needed for the emergence and sustainable growth of manufacturing SMEs in the country. Therefore, the primary intention of this study is to identify the selective drivers of business innovation on manufacturing SMEs operating in KwaZulu-Natal. To properly execute the intents of this research study, a quantitative research approach with the usage of Likert scale form was deemed appropriate. A targeted population of 380 participants was identified using a convenience sampling method. Factor analysis and descriptive analysis were conducted with the aid of SPSS, version 26.0. The empirical findings of the study revealed that, apart from the standard drivers of business innovation, there are also other critical key drivers that needed awareness, especially if manufacturing SMEs are serious about business sustainability and growth. The results indicated that continuous skills training development, technological improvements, competition, entrepreneur’s academic levels and technical skills were found to be key drivers of business innovation. The recommendations provided are essential to strengthening business innovation which is essential to business survival and sustainability.