The notion of entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) has garnered considerable attention in the academic discourse. However, quite often this notion is treated as just a biological metaphor that should not ...be taken too seriously. I challenge this view and ask in a thought experiment what could be learned from the management of natural ecosystems to assist the development of EEs. The outcome is a novel, service-based definition of EEs and five suggested principles for the management of EEs that might advance theorizing on them and future empirical analysis.
•Applies principles of natural ecosystems management to entrepreneurial ecosystems.•Suggests a service-oriented definition of entrepreneurial ecosystems.•Proposes principles supporting the development and evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Entrepreneurial ecosystem elements Stam, Erik; van de Ven, Andrew
Small business economics,
02/2021, Volume:
56, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
There is a growing interest in ecosystems as an approach for understanding the context of entrepreneurship at the macro level of an organizational community. It consists of all the interdependent ...actors and factors that enable and constrain entrepreneurship within a particular territory. Although growing in popularity, the entrepreneurial ecosystem concept remains loosely defined and measured. This paper shows the value of taking a systems view of the context of entrepreneurship: understanding entrepreneurial economies from a systems perspective. We use a systems framework for studying entrepreneurial ecosystems, develop a measurement instrument of its elements, and use this to compose an entrepreneurial ecosystem index to examine the quality of entrepreneurial ecosystems in the Netherlands. We find that the prevalence of high-growth firms in a region is strongly related to the quality of its entrepreneurial ecosystem. Strong interrelationships among the ecosystem elements reveal their interdependence and need for a systems perspective.
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CEKLJ, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
In this research, we examine how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) build their resilience capability during a crisis, through the adoption of digital technologies. Utilizing a qualitative approach ...grounded in case studies of eight entrepreneurs from India who had to radically change their business models and operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, we develop a multilevel model of resilience capability: at the micro (entrepreneur), meso (organizational), and macro (entrepreneurial ecosystem) levels. In developing resilience, the SMEs alternate their focus: from concentrating on the core to moving toward the periphery of their organizational boundaries, highlighting a shifting play of the three first-order dynamic capabilities of sensing, seizing, and transforming. By affording SMEs an opportunity to transform themselves by embracing digital technologies, the crisis leads to the emergence of resilience capability as a second-order dynamic capability.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The concept of digital entrepreneurial ecosystems (DEEs) has been developed to systemically analyze entrepreneurship in the digital age. Research on DEEs is, however, still dispersed, and there ...exists ambiguity in this relevant field. With the aim of creating a more comprehensive understanding of DEEs, we conduct a systematic literature review that outlines the current state of research and consolidates the literature at the intersection of digital entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Since DEEs have been explored from different perspectives and given the adoption of various attributes, we propose a conceptual framework presenting a set of characterizations corresponding to principal ecosystem attributes. By offering a range of characteristics, our framework provides an inclusive picture of the different possible types of DEEs, offering promising avenues for future research.
•▪ The concept of DEEs subsumes digital entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ecosystems•▪ We propose a conceptual framework presenting a set of characterizations of DEEs•▪ We present a two-by-two typology that delineates four forms of DEEs•▪ We highlight important future avenues of research exploring DEE attributes
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•We create a dataset to measure Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in 273 regions in Europe.•We show how the elements of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems are interdependent.•An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Index is ...created to qualify entrepreneurial ecosystems.•The Index predicts entrepreneurial output better than other indices.•Entrepreneurial Ecosystem metrics enable data-and-dialogue-driven policy.
Despite the popularity of the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach in science and policy, there is a scarcity of credible, accurate and comparable metrics of entrepreneurial ecosystems. This is a severe shortcoming for both scientific progress and successful policy. In this paper, we bridge the entrepreneurial ecosystem metrics gap. Entrepreneurial ecosystems consist of the actors and factors that enable entrepreneurship. We use the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach to quantify and qualify entrepreneurial economies. We operationalize the elements and outputs of entrepreneurial ecosystems for 273 European regions. The ecosystem elements show strong and positive correlations with each other, confirming the systemic nature of entrepreneurial economies and the need for a complex systems perspective. Our analyses show that physical infrastructure, finance, formal institutions, and talent take a central position in the interdependence web, providing a first indication of these elements as fundamental conditions of entrepreneurial ecosystems. The measures of the elements are used to calculate an index that approximates the quality of entrepreneurial ecosystems. This index is robust and performs well in regressions to predict entrepreneurial output, which we measure with novel data on productive entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurial ecosystem approach and the metrics we present provide a lens for public policy to better diagnose, understand and improve entrepreneurial economies.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The purpose of this article is to review the emerging research on entrepreneurial ecosystem and to guide future research into this promising area. The study presents a critical review on the ...entrepreneurial ecosystem, starting from its very definition and antecedents. Combining prior research with building on the main concepts that constitute an entrepreneurial ecosystem, we have developed an original set of guidelines that can help scholars and practitioners seeking an answer to the following pressing question: “How can we gain a comprehensive understanding of an entrepreneurial ecosystem?”. We will then discuss the opportunities for expanding our current knowledge on entrepreneurial ecosystems and describe the current debates and directions for future research. Lastly, we will provide guidelines that policymakers may take into consideration when designing and issuing support measures to promote entrepreneurship in their local ecosystems.
Research Summary: Entrepreneurial ecosystems have recently emerged as a popular concept within entrepreneurship policy and practitioner communities. Specifically, they are seen as a regional economic ...development strategy that is based around creating supportive environments that foster innovative start‐ups. However, existing research on entrepreneurial ecosystems has been largely typological and atheoretical and has not yet explored how they influence the entrepreneurship process. This article critically examines the relationships between ecosystems and other existing literatures such as clusters and regional innovation systems. Drawing on this background, the article suggests that a process‐based view of ecosystems provides a better framework to understand their role in supporting new venture creation. This framework is used to explain the evolution and transformation of entrepreneurial ecosystems and to create a typology of different ecosystem structures.
Managerial Summary: Entrepreneurial ecosystems are a new buzzword within research and managerial circles. They represent the types of cultural, social, economic, and political environments within a region that support high‐growth entrepreneurship. But current research does little more than look at successful ecosystems to identify best practices. This article examines what we know about entrepreneurial ecosystems and links them with existing theories like clusters and regional innovation systems. We argue that successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurship within an ecosystem generates critical entrepreneurial resources like investment capital, skilled workers, and entrepreneurial knowledge. This, in turn, supports future high‐growth venture creation. The types of resources available in an ecosystem and the ability of these resources to flow through social networks helps separate strong, well‐functioning ecosystems from weak, poorly functioning ones.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Using the study of hybridization in evolutionary biology as metaphorical inspiration, I offer a thought experiment about the emergence and proliferation of social enterprise and the influence of ...hybrid organizing on the entrepreneurial ecosystem. After establishing a number of analogues between biological and organizational hybrids, I analyze the degree to which social enterprise may be indicative of hybrid speciation – i.e., a new organizational form – versus introgressive hybridization – i.e., a variant of a more traditional organizational form. I then use the metaphor to examine whether social enterprise: (1) possesses distinct rules and features, (2) is shaped by or shaping the entrepreneurial ecosystem, (3) still remains a hybrid organization, and (4) might even be considered an invasive species.
•Proposes a biological metaphor of organizational hybrids as biological hybrids•Introduces speciation and introgression as alternative ways in which social enterprise interacts with the entrepreneurial ecosystem•Considers whether social enterprise can and should be distinguished from traditional organizational forms•Questions when social enterprise would cease to qualify as a hybrid organizational form and whether it may be considered an invasive species
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
•This study conducts a bibliometric and systematic literature review of the entrepreneurial ecosystem literature.•A holistic approach is developed by integrating the sustainability ...framework.•Sustainability framework includes (ESG) i) environmental, ii) social, and iii) governance factors.•Three clusters: i) configuration and evolution, ii) system and sustainability, iii) strategy.•This study integrates the interconnections between the ESG framework and the three clusters.
Growing interest in entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) over the last 15 years has led to an increase in publications in academic journals. This new concept has become a central topic in entrepreneurship research; however, it remains atheoretical, static and broad. While several bibliometric and systematic literature reviews have developed a research agenda for EEs, a holistic framework that integrates sustainability factors with theories, methods and approaches is still needed. This study provides such a framework through a bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review of high-quality contributions in this field. The results of a citation and network analysis using the co-occurrence, co-authorship, bibliographic coupling, and co-citation techniques, highlight the state of the art of research and distinguish three thematic clusters in the EE literature. A holistic framework is then developed by integrating sustainability factors into the EE literature, and several emerging directions for future research are highlighted.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Despite its rapid proliferation, the extant literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems has not paid sufficient attention to the evolutionary nature of entrepreneurial ecosystems, mainly on account of ...the prevailing structuralist approaches in previous research. Particularly unclear is the early evolutionary context in which a region without rich entrepreneurial resources gains momentum and transforms into a nascent entrepreneurial ecosystem. The literature overlooks ecosystem dynamics in regions with limited entrepreneurial resources, as most studies have investigated more developed entrepreneurial ecosystems. This study illuminates one means to overcome resource scarcity on a regional level: resource injection by attracting transnational entrepreneurs, who transfer unique resources from one location to another. Based on an explorative qualitative study in the Santiago entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chile, where governmental actors incentivized transnational entrepreneurs to temporarily relocate to Santiago, this article proposes a three-step model of resource injection by transnational entrepreneurs with the following components: (i) stimulation of early ecosystem evolutionary momentum, (ii) evocation of institutional changes, and (iii) establishment of a resilient ecosystem. The findings offer practical implications for policymakers in emerging countries to utilize transnational entrepreneurs' resources for developing an ecosystem in their region.
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BFBNIB, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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