Abstract: Managers dealing with sustainable innovation often encounter similar risks at the micro-level (day-to-day operational level). This study aims to help innovation managers learn what worked best before to address innovation risks faced. Besides provision of action advice for the most frequently occurring innovation risks, other variables assessed included perceived risk importance, importance of the innovation to the firm, levels of successful implementation of actions, success in dealing with particular risks and overall innovation success. Conclusions have been drawn from the resulting relationships between the variables. These conclusions include the observation that the process of innovation management at the micro-level of decision making is highly variable, and as a consequence, generic advice is not feasible. Also found was that it does not serve upper management well to pressure innovation managers by emphasizing the importance of the innovation to the firm, but rather it does serve them well to help them resolve the risk(s) they perceive.

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