Expanded Summary

In modern World, because of desperate competition and globalization, any company needs the continuous care of improvement its product and business processes, thus it can achieve the success and maintain the existence in long-term period. Development of products and business-processes is always related to the innovation. Effective innovation management is quite difficult and complex, that is why it is necessary as a theoretical and empirical study.

The aim of the research are: study of innovation management models, Characterization of them, explaining the causes of structural changes in the process of evolution of models which is important for the development of innovations management theory.

In the 50s of the twentieth century, the leading economists believed that the innovative process had a linear and consistent character and included scientific findings, researches, engineering and productive actions, marketing, and after all of these process there was provided new product on the market:

According to the first generation linear models, the process starts from the Organization Research and Development Department (R & D), which is why it is called "technological push" linear models. This model consists of the following stages: Basic Sciences - Technological Development – Manufacturing – Marketing – Sales;

However, studies of the 60-70-ies of the twentieth century proved that with the "technological impetus" an important influence on innovation can a market demand. The second generation of "linear models" are named: “Market Push” Models. “Market – Push” model consists of the following steps: Market Needs – Development – Manufacturing – Sales.

British scientist Roy Rothwell made a significant contribution to the innovation research process, including three additional models:Coupling of R&D and Marketing (G3), Integrated Business Processes models (G4) and   System Integration and Networking model (G5).

In mid of 80’s Marketing and R&D became more tightly coupled through structured innovation processes. Operational cost reduction was a central driver behind this ”coupling model”. According to this model Technological innovation comes from the coupling of markets needs and technological opportunities. It is understood that innovation is rarely the result of pure technology push or market pull forces, but rather the result of the matching and combination of the two. The process is still sequential but with feedback loops. R&D and marketing play a balanced role. The emphasis is given to the interface between the two.

As describes R. Rothwell, Fourth-generation models started in the early of 80s, companies were initially concentrating on core businesses and core technologies. Growing awareness of the strategic importance of evolving generic technologies, with increased strategic emphasis on technological accumulation. New focus on manufacturing strategy. Rapid growth in the number of strategic alliances between companies. Shortening product life cycles led to time-based strategies. Integration and parallel development was important

And Fifth-generation model were from middle of 90s, and according to them: Companies remain committed to technological accumulation, strategic networking continues, speed to market remains of importance; firms are striving towards increasingly better integrated product and manufacturing strategies, greater flexibility and adaptability. “Fast innovation” is an important factor determining a company’s competitiveness. The ability to control product development speed can be seen as an important core competence. The process 5G is essentially a development of the 4G (parallel, integrated) processes in which the technology of technological change is itself changing (networking process).

According to our research, was founded main differences between linear and non – linear innovation Models, which are following:

• An innovative idea in linear models can be generated only on specific stages and in non - linear innovation models can be generated in any stage of innovation;
• Accordance to the second generation innovation models, innovations are created by specific organizations and not in the " General technological Environment”
• In non - linear models significant role not only subject of the process, but also the relationship between them and changes in the environment.