Emerging Issues in Corporate Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Research on corporate entrepreneurship (CE) has grown rapidly over the past decade. In this article, we identify four major issues scholars can pursue to further our understanding about CE. The issues we explore include various forms of CE (e.g., sustained regeneration, domain redefinition) and their implications for organizational learning; the role of leadership and social exchange in the CE process; and, key research opportunities relevant to CE in an international context. To address the latter issue, we propose a typology that separates content from process-related studies and new ventures vs. established companies. We close with a reassessment of the outcomes in CE research, which becomes particularly salient with the increasing importance of social, human, and intellectual capital in creating competitive advantages and wealth in today's knowledge economy. Throughout the article, we use the organizational learning theory as a means of integrating our discussion and highlighting the potential contributions of CE to knowledge creation and effective exploitation.

An individual-level perspective on intrapreneurship: a review and ways forward

“…Therefore, the research in the entrepreneurship field has clearly expanded by focusing not only on new venture creation and entrepreneurs, but also on the value of entrepreneurship within existing organizations (Antoncic and Hisrich 2003). The basic assumption is that innovative employee behaviour influences the firm's performance by facilitating strategic renewal and access to new resources and skills (Dess et al 2003;Kuratko and Audretsch 2013;Veenker et al 2008). Although entrepreneurs also show innovative activities, research clearly distinguishes entrepreneurs from entrepreneurial employees.…”

“…The so-called corporate entrepreneurship (CE) approach (e.g. Dess et al 2003;Ireland et al 2009) is similar to the EO approach, but distinguishes clearly two main streams. Corporate entrepreneurship can result either in corporate venturing (CV) and the creation of new business or the renewal of an existing organization.…”

“…Depending on the varying theoretical approaches, related concepts such as entrepreneurial orientation (Anderson and Covin 2014;Covin and Wales 2012), corporate entrepreneurship (Dess et al 2003;Ireland et al 2009) and corporate venturing (Antoncic and Hisrich 2003) have emerged. Moreover, similar but nevertheless different concepts and synonyms have developed, leading to further confusion in the field of intrapreneurship (e.g.…”

The Effect of Pro-Entrepreneurship Architecture on Organisational Outcomes

“…Urban. The effect of pro-entrepreneurship architecture on organisational outcomes corporate intrapreneurship (Dess et al 2003), strategic entrepreneurial posture (Covin, Slevin 1989), and internal corporate venturing (Hornsby et al 2002); these not being merely differences in nomenclature, but each having specific meaning and focus. CE which includes strategic renewal (organizational renewal involving major strategic and / or structural changes), innovation (the introduction of something new to the marketplace), and corporate venturing (corporate entrepreneurial efforts that lead to the creation of new companies within the corporate company), are all important and legitimate parts of the CE process (refer to Covin, Miles 1999;Kuratko, Welsch 2001;Morris, Kuratko 2002).…”

Supply-chain corporate venturing through acquisition: Key management team retention

“…In particular, acquisitions may form a critical component of external corporate venturing (Miles & Covin, 2002). Within this stream of research, acquisitions serve many purposes including: as a means to overcome learning distance between supply-chain members (Busenitz, Hoskisson, Arthurs, & Hansen, 2006), supply-chain members to learn about new markets and channel members (Handfield & Nichols, 2004;Hult et al, 2004), and as a way to engage in corporate renewal when that renewal involves learning from supply-chain partners (Dess et al, 2003;Palmatier, Dant, Grewal, & Evans, 2006). Acquisitions may also be a means by which a larger supply-chain member can place an option on a smaller firm pursuing new technology (McGrath, 2001).…”