The risks of implementing innovative technologies in small business management systems

the article addresses the heightened vulnerability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) when implementing advanced technological solutions and proposes a practice-oriented instrument for mitigating knowledge-related risks. The aim of the study is to operationalize knowledge risk management (KRM) within the context of technology deployments and thereby ensure the safe and reproducible scaling of innovation in small business. Methodologically, we advance an integrated framework that combines three lenses: layers of knowledge risk (human, technological, and operational/process); the distinction between determinate and indeterminate threats (to guide response strategy); and six project zones in which risks manifest in day-to-day practice (users; requirements; architectural complexity and integrations; planning and control; team composition and competence; organizational environment and sponsorship). On this basis, we develop a “Knowledge Risk Passport” for a specific technology initiative that comprises the documented implementation context, a standardized diagnostic, and a quantitative assessment of residual risk. The procedure includes three sequential assessment gates (prior to the pilot, after training and organizational interventions, and after the pilot before scaling) and imposes minimal operational overhead; roles are assigned to the initiative lead, the legal function, an information security specialist, the head of training, the integration architect, and a representative of key users. The novelty of the work lies in a coherent “three-layer” scheme that links human, process, and technological factors with transparent decision rules; its practical significance is the ability to embed the proposed instrument rapidly into implementation governance in small firms, thereby lowering failure rates and accelerating the uptake of innovation.

innovation management systems, organizational innovation, technological innovation, small business, knowledge management, risk management, SMEs, innovation management