Sector-Based Entrepreneurial Capabilities and the Promise of Sector Studies in Entrepreneurship

Abstract

The influence of the industrial sector is a long-standing assumption in entrepreneurship studies, yet the mechanisms through which the industrial sector shapes entrepreneurial phenomena and the processes through which entrepreneurial actors interact with sectors to prospect, develop, and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities remain largely under-theorized and little understood. We critically reexamine the notion of ''sector'' in entrepreneurship research, advancing a more dynamic view of the industrial sectors captured by the concept of sector fluidity and identifying three approaches to move the sector more prominently onto the ''front seat'' of entrepreneurship theory and research. Defining sector-based entrepreneurial capabilities and examining their importance to advance current understanding of industry-specific determinants, processes, and outcomes of entrepreneurship, we set out an agenda for further research aimed at advancing sector studies in entrepreneurship.

Family firms in the global economy: Toward a deeper understanding of internationalization determinants, processes, and outcomes

“…Therefore, the willingness and ability to develop strong and stable relationships with local stakeholders and institutions is a crucial factor influencing family firms' internationalization. Likewise, recent research points to the importance of more prominently taking into account the industrial sector when developing theories about firm behavior (De Massis, Kotlar, Wright, & Kellermanns, ), and we underline the potential of future studies employing sector‐based variables to advance current understanding of the industry‐specific determinants, processes, and outcomes of internationalization in family firms.…”

History‐informed strategy research: The promise of history and historical research methods in advancing strategy scholarship

“…A first promising direction for future research involves drawing on history and historical research methods to put historical context in the front seat of strategy theorizing. The influence of the context (e.g., the industry) is a long‐standing assumption in strategy studies (De Massis, Kotlar, Wright, & Kellermanns, ), yet the mechanisms through which the context shapes strategy behavior and the processes through which individuals, groups and organizations interact with the context to achieve or fail to achieve specific organizational outcomes such as growth, survival or a sustainable competitive advantage remain largely under‐theorized and little understood as most strategy studies at best use contextual variables as control variables in their studies. We encourage strategy scholars to develop new and better‐informed theoretical interpretations of strategy phenomena, which are more explicitly embedded in the historical context in which they take place, and focus on the complex temporal dimensions through which they occur.…”

Innovation in Family Firms: A Systematic Literature Review and Guidance for Future Research

“…We also echo recent calls for sector studies in entrepreneurship (De Massis et al . ) and call for future research examining potential sectoral influences on the innovative behaviour of FFs. Put differently, we urge future scholars to achieve a better understanding of industry‐specific determinants, processes and outcomes of innovation in FFs by giving a more prominent role to the industrial sector in current theorizing.…”