Choice of type of corporate entrepreneurship: a process model.
Parboteeah, K. Praveen
INTRODUCTION
Corporate entrepreneurship (C.E.) has become a popular and widely
studied phenomenon in the last few years as evidenced by the special
issue of Strategic Management Journal (Summer 1990) and the appearance
of new academic journals (e.g., Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal,
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Business Venturing).
The importance of C.E. can be primarily attributed to its impact on the
renewed success of some declining firms that successfully transformed
themselves through entrepreneurial activities (Miller & Friesen,
1985) and its critical role in the survival of underperforming firms
(Gimeno, Folta, Cooper, & Woo, 1997). In addition, there has been a
growing interest in C.E. because of its use by companies to enhance the
innovativeness of their employees and to enjoy corporate success through
the creation of new ventures (Kuratko, Montagno, & Hornsby, 1990).
C.E. has been linked with superior firm performance (Zahra & Covin,
1995) and pursuit of competitive advantage (Covin & Miles, 1999).
The interest in C.E. has even been extended to its study in
multinational corporations (Birkinshaw, 1997).
A review of the recent literature and classical articles (see Table
1 for a list of some of the classical articles) on C.E. reveals a
disproportionate emphasis on external factors (i.e., organizational and
environmental factors). Generally, C.E. is considered more of an
organizational property resulting from organizational and environmental
factors. In addition, the few studies that examined internal aspects of
the organization generally tied the success or lack thereof of
entrepreneurial ventures to the entrepreneurs'
background/attributes (e.g., Cooper & Bruno, 1975). Although it is
necessary to understand the external determinants of C.E., the premise
of the present paper is that internal behavioral factors can also be
equally helpful in understanding C.E. Internal behavioral factors simply
refer to the critical roles played by managers and employees in
determining the types of C.E. exhibited by any firm. Hence, while not
denying the impact of external factors and organizational factors, this
paper contributes to the literature by showing how levels of individual
factors can have a significant impact on the type of C.E., an
organizational property. The theory developed here broadens our
understanding of corporate entrepreneurship by illuminating an area of
importance that has not been fully developed before.
Why is a focus on internal behavioral factors so crucial? Because
C.E. is such a complex activity, at a practical level, managers and
organizations need more guidelines to direct or redirect resources to
establish the desired type of C.E. In addition, although understanding
external factors have academic merits, there is more value for
practitioners if internal behavioral factors are studied because such
factors are more easily changed and controlled. On a theoretical level,
researchers need to continually assess and understand the components
that actually predict types of C.E. Consequently, internal behavioral
factors, which are in the control of management or employees within an
organization, are identified and discussed.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Corporate Entrepreneurship
Although the literature abounds with conflicting definitions of
entrepreneurship (e.g., Chung & Gibbons, 1997; Stopford &
Baden-Fuller, 1994; Zahra, 1996), Sharma & Chrisman's (1999)
attempt to propose a converging definition is notable. They define
entrepreneurship as encompassing "acts of organizational creation,
renewal, or innovation that occur within or outside an existing
organization" (Sharma & Chrisman, 1999: 17). As such, corporate
entrepreneurship is defined as the "process whereby an individual
or group of individuals, in association with an existing organization,
create a new organization or instigate renewal or innovation within that
organization" (Sharma & Chrisman, 1999: 18).
The strategy literature identifies three types of C.E. (Stopford
& Baden-Fuller, 1994). The first type is the creation of new
businesses within existing organization (or corporate venturing) (for
example, Block & MacMillan, 1993; Burgelman, 1983). Corporate
venturing refers to the creation of new business(es) within existing
organizations to take advantage of new opportunities. The second one is
the more enduring activity of transforming or renewal of existing
organizations (Beer, Eisenstat & Spector, 1990; Kanter, 1983; Zahra,
1996). Corporate renewal refers to the internal transformation of an
organization in many areas; this conceptualization hints at fundamental
changes in the way an organization conducts its activities. A firm
undergoing corporate renewal exhibits changes in its product/market mix
and the dimensions on which it chooses to compete. The third is where
there is a major change in an industry in which the 'rules of
competition' are radically changed (Schumpeter, 1934).
Schumpeterian entrepreneurship refers to a situation where a firm
changes the very rules of competition in an industry. The changes
usually destabilize an existing industry structure and prompt the
creation of a new one.
Although extensive research has been done on these three forms of
C.E., none has actually used internal behavioral factors to develop an
understanding of why firms have different forms of C.E. The present
paper focuses on the discussion of two main internal behavioral factors.
As much as it is crucial to distinguish between individuals and
organizations in studying C.E., it is also necessary that there is a
clear difference between top management and those individuals who
"pursue opportunities without regard to the resources the currently
control" (Stevenson & Jarillo, 1990: 23). This distinction is
necessary because 1) it is clear that top managers are not always the
ones who pursue opportunities within organizations, 2) employees who
exploit entrepreneurial opportunities (i.e., entrepreneurs) tend to be
different from non-entrepreneurs in that they tend to frame business
situations differently (Palich & Ray, 1995), 3) entrepreneurs tend
to think differently compared to other people (Baron, 1998), and 4)
entrepreneurs tend to use different decision-making biases and
heuristics in some situations (Busenitz & Barney, 1997). In sum,
there is strong evidence supporting a distinction between top managers
and the employees (i.e., entrepreneurs) who seek to exploit
entrepreneurial activities
The firm constitutes an opportunity structure for potential
entrepreneurs within the firm (Burgelman, 1983). These
'intrapreneurs' (Pinchott, 1985) are employees who champion
new ideas from development to reality. They tap into their
entrepreneurial abilities through internal developments or
diversification. This opportunity seeking behavior is seen as a very
fundamental characteristic of a firm (Kirzner, 1973; Penrose, 1950) and
has been linked to superior firm performance (Pearce & Carland,
1996). However, top management of the firm tolerates autonomous
strategic behaviors in different degrees (Burgelman, 1983). In some
organizations, top management allow high levels of autonomous strategic
behavior while in others, top management rely more on induced behavior
from employees (Burgelman, 1983). Consequently, the level of top
management's perception of the need for entrepreneurial activity
within a firm and the level of employees' desire to exploit
entrepreneurial opportunities are identified as the two major internal
behavioral factors that jointly determine which type of C.E. is
exhibited in an organization.
For the sake of simplicity and discussion, only high and low levels
of the two internal behavioral factors are considered. Hence, crossing
high and low levels of top management's perception of the need for
entrepreneurship and high and low levels of employees' desire to
exploit entrepreneurial opportunities provides us with a lucid way to
understand C.E.
The paper is structured as follows. The next section discusses how
the crossing of different levels of top managers' perception of the
need for C.E. and employees' desire to exploit entrepreneurial
opportunities result in different types of C.E. Results are then
summarized as propositions. The subsequent section discusses major
factors that determine the desire of employees to exploit
entrepreneurial opportunities and the top managers' perception for
the need for entrepreneurial activities. Finally, some contributions of
this paper for the C.E. field are discussed.
TYPES OF CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Crossing high and low levels of both employees' desire to
exploit entrepreneurial activities and top managements' perception
for the need for entrepreneurial activities result in four cells. Each
of the four cells will be discussed to show that based on the conditions
that exist within each cell, one specific type of C.E. either exists or
will evolve in the firm.
Cell 1: Status-Quo
In this cell, neither top managers nor operational participants
exhibit any entrepreneurial behavior. Top managers are unlikely to
encourage any autonomous strategic behavior on the part of the employees
because they do not see any need for it. This can happen, for example,
in times of little environmental changes or when the managers do not
recognize the changes or even when they reject the changes. Employees
also have no desire to take risks and exploit entrepreneurial
opportunities.
A good example of status-quo organizations is a defender type
organization. Miles and Snow (1978) suggest that defender type
organizations are often active in a narrow niche with which the top
management is quite conversant. Such organizations, they add, are
characterized by formal rules, standardized procedures, clear and narrow
work roles for employees. Autonomous strategic behavior on the part of
the employees is not encouraged and, in fact, it would be discouraged
because of emphasis on cost control. The slack needed and necessary for
the autonomous strategic behavior is usually not available making it
difficult for the employees to engage in entrepreneurial activities.
Organizations may also become locked in Cell 1 if there is a
reverse of Jelinek's (1976) institutionalization innovation. In
such cases, the very mechanisms (and administrative systems) that are
set to promote innovation may actually become self-destructive.
Administrative systems embody past learning and by becoming
institutionalized, set innovation paradigms for the organization.
However, these same administrative mechanisms may lead to the reduction
of mistakes, discourage investigation of new areas, and encourage
development only in known areas. In such cases, stagnation or status-quo
is the result.
Consequently, in Cell 1 firms, there is much more emphasis on the
induced strategic loop (Burgelman, 1983). Both top managers and
employees can work within the current strategy and situation, and C.E.
would be at the minimum level. Therefore,
Proposition 1: When both top managers' perception of the need
for entrepreneurial activity and employees' desire to exploit
entrepreneurial opportunities are low, then C.E. is low.
Cell 2: Corporate Renewal
In cell 2, top management wants some degree of entrepreneurship,
but employees do not provide many entrepreneurial activities and
projects. Possibly they do not have any prior entrepreneurial
experience, or have negligible management experience, or have very
little training or education. However, it is also possible that inside
environmental factors (i.e., organizational culture, inappropriate
reward and compensation systems, declining financial situation, or
ignorance of external environment) are constricting entrepreneurial
behavior on the part of the operational participants.
Consider, for instance, that struggling or declining organizations
can inhibit voluntary participation on the part of employees. Usually,
the organizations in decline also show financial losses that make
employees worry about their own employment. In addition, managers also
make changes to the organizational structure and systems in an effort to
revive the organizations. Such changes also unnerve employees. These
conditions combined with lack of resources or slack can very likely
inhibit any form of entrepreneurial activity on the part of the
employees.
Consequently, when top managers face inside environmental factors
that are not conducive to employees proposing entrepreneurial activities
or are in declining or stagnating firms, serious turnaround is
necessary. Corporate renewal represents such serious turnaround and is
the likely result in Cell 2.
At a general level, revitalization or renewal involves
"enhancing the abilities of, and contributions made by, managers,
workers and the organization as a whole..." (Beer et. al., 1990:2).
It involves competing in new markets rather than just the current
markets. Beer et. al., 's (1990) research suggests that the
initiative and involvement of the employees is the key to the success of
these change efforts. There is usually a need for general change in
mentality and attitudes. Participation of lower level employees in
decision making is found to be critical for successful change efforts.
Also, there is greater emphasis on teamwork at all levels of the
organization. Employees are empowered to take initiative in reducing
costs, improving quality, exploiting of new opportunities and responding
to customer needs. In turn, this new organization will ask for different
patterns of management and employee commitment, with a redefinition of
the company culture.
How does top management participate in the corporate renewal
process? They are the ones who have to motivate their employees to
exploit entrepreneurial opportunities. They are also the ones who have
the ability to change the "Not Invented Here" syndrome that is
characteristic of Cell 2 organizations (Merrifield, 1993). They also
have the responsibility to create the necessary changes in mentality and
attitudes of workers. Hence, they have the ultimate responsibility to
initiate the corporate renewal process by securing the employees'
participation.
A good example of corporate renewal is General Product Corporation
where top managers understood the importance of entrepreneurial
activity. They devised ways to recognize the value of innovations, learn
from them, and find ways to spread them (Beer et. al, 1990). In most
successful renewal experience, the following strategies were usually
employed: 1) demanding high performance and investing in human
resources, 2) developing innovative organization models, 3) invest in
learning, and 4) promoting and training managers who are engaged in and
committed to renewal. Hence, typically corporate renewal involves the
changing of organization structure and culture to promote the
exploitation of new ideas and innovations. From the preceding arguments
it is concluded that top management is inclined and often has a strong
influence on the lower level employees in encouraging them to
participate in the renewal process.
Renewal, therefore, is the appropriate form of corporate
entrepreneurship in the present situation because top management will
want to perform a turnaround to ensure that workers exploit available
opportunities. Hence,
Proposition 2: When top managers perceive a high need for
entrepreneurship, but employees have low desire to exploit such
entrepreneurial opportunities, corporate renewal is the likely form of
C.E. in the organization.
Cell 3: Corporate Venturing
In cell 3, although employees have a strong desire to exploit
entrepreneurial opportunities, top managers do not see a need for such
activities. The organization may lack the structural features that
support entrepreneurship within the firm. In such a situation, two
possibilities exist: 1) operational participants may persist and
actually convince top management of the viability of their idea and form
an internal corporate venture, thereby becoming a 'corporate
venture champion' (Greene, Brush & Hart, 1999) or 2) if the
desire is strong enough and if external funds are available, the
entrepreneur might decide to leave the existing organization to create a
new one. In both cases, the organization has corporate venturing as a
form of C.E.
Corporate venturing is the logical form of C.E. in the firm because
it represents the case where employees are actually the ones championing
new ideas even with limited or without support of top management. From
the top management perspective, a new venture should not only be viable
but also be consistent with the firm's current strategic direction.
If not, managing the venture within the firm can be difficult and even
be damaging to the current businesses (Simon, Houghton & Gurney,
1999). Consequently, if top managers are to take advantage of new
opportunities but not risk the current business, they are likely to
encourage corporate venturing as a form of C.E.
According to Block and MacMillan (1983), corporate venturing
involves a number of crucial steps: 1) involves a new activity, 2)
starts or is conducted internally, 3) involves greater risk of failure
and has greater uncertainty than the current business, and 4) will be
managed separately at some future time. Burgelman (1983: 1349) sees
corporate venturing as "the process whereby firms engage in
diversification through internal development...which requires new
resources combination to extend the firm's activities in areas
unrelated, or marginally related, to its current domain of
competence...(page 1349)." A corporate venture by definition
suggests a new product and or market activity that is very different
from the firm's current activities.
Burgelman (1983) argues that very often entrepreneurial projects
represent the vision of top management ex post. Large, complex
organizations preclude top management from being able to devote as much
attention to new projects or ideas. Although top management is usually
very familiar with the current business, it lacks the necessary
capabilities to comprehend new resource combinations proposed by
operational participants. Hence, top management has difficulty in
evaluating and even accepting such new venture ideas. This, however,
does not mean that the importance of new ideas and exploitation of new
opportunities on the part of employees is any less. Therefore, top
management, as Burgelman (1983) argues, has a responsibility to blend
the new business ideas within its organization, typically through
corporate ventures. This may also entail post hoc changes in the
strategic plan and the organizational structure. On their part,
employees may modify or further refine their ideas to best suit the
organizational requirements. Hence, given the above, it is very likely
that the employees' high desire to exploit entrepreneurial ventures
coupled with low perception of need from top managers result in
corporate venturing.
Proposition 3: When employees have a high desire to exploit
entrepreneurial ventures, but top managers perceive no need for such
ventures, corporate venturing is the form of C.E. in the organization.
Cell 4: Schumpeterian Entrepreneurship
In cell 4, both top managers and operational participants agree on
the need and necessity of exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities.
There is more emphasis on the autonomous loop (Burgelman, 1983), where
top managers would set in place a structure that will actually encourage
and reward entrepreneurial activities. In such situations, the stage is
set for Schumpeterian type of entrepreneurship. The Schumpeterian type
of entrepreneurship referred to here is adopted from Stopford and
Baden-Fuller (1994). Schumpeter (1950, pg. 132) defines entrepreneurship
or the function of entrepreneurs as "to reform or revolutionize the
pattern of production by exploiting an invention or, more generally, an
untried technological possibility for producing a new commodity or
producing an old one in a new way, by opening up a new source of supply
of materials or a new outlet for products, by reorganizing an industry
and so on." In the spirit of this definition, Schumpeterian
entrepreneurship is recognized as something that transforms the industry
through a radical departure from the way business is currently
conducted. Schumpeterian entrepreneurship can be distinguished from
other types of entrepreneurship in terms of its impact on not only the
focal firm but also on the industry in which the firm is located.
Schumepeterian innovation can be viewed as not only the
transforming of the enterprise but also the competitive environment into
something substantially different (Stopford & Baden-Fuller, 1994).
They also argue that these innovations apply to new products or ideas
are usually associated with emerging industries, however, they are
applicable to existing incumbents in well-established industries. For
example, the study of Shell (De Geus, 1988) and GE (Tichy & Charan,
1989) reveals that sometimes organizations react to others'
innovations and eventually create new capabilities to the extent that
the rules of the industry would be changed. The competition within such
an industry is radically altered due to the frame breaking change
brought out by a firm in the industry.
Schumepeterian corporate entrepreneurship is the likely outcome of
the present situation because the right atmosphere exists for major
innovations. Not only are top managers encouraging new initiatives but
employees also have very high desire to exploit available opportunities.
By definition, this cell embodies the autonomous strategic behavior
identified by Burgelman (1983). The basic raw material for Schumpeterian
type entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ideas are provided by the
employees. And as Penrose (1950) suggests the slack resources of even
average amounts can significantly enhance the entrepreneurial discovery.
Hence, in this case, the managerial resource is abundantly available.
Consequently, because the right incentives and encouragement are given
to employees and because employees provide the new ideas, the likelihood
that Schumpeterian entrepreneurship will take place is enhanced.
Consequently,
Proposition 4: When top management perceives a high need for
entrepreneurship and employees have high desire to exploit
entrepreneurial opportunities, Schumpeterian type of C.E. exists in the
organization.
WHAT ARE FACTORS THAT DETERMINE EMPLOYEES' DESIRE TO EXPLOIT
ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND TOP MANAGEMENTS' PERCEPTION OF
THE NEED FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP?
Cells 1 to 4 represent various levels of employees' desire to
exploit entrepreneurial opportunities and top management's
perception of the need for entrepreneurship. Consequently, a complete
inquiry into the determinants of C.E. begs the following question: What
are the factors that influence employees' desire to exploit
entrepreneurial opportunities? What are the factors that determine top
management's perception of the need for entrepreneurship? In this
section, we review the relevant literature and provide some answers to
the above questions in the form of propositions.
WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT DETERMINE EMPLOYEES' DESIRE TO
EXPLOIT ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES?
Cell 3 and 4 refer to situations where employees have a high desire
to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities. When can we expect such a
situation? In this section, some of the internal factors that influence
employees' desire to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities are
discussed. It is assumed that the literature that applies to individual
entrepreneurs is equally applicable to employees in organizational
situations. Also, the discussion is limited to major factors only.
Studies that have looked at the antecedents of operational
participant's willingness to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities
can be categorized into three major areas: 1) the entrepreneur's
background, 2) the entrepreneur's personality, and 3) the
environment the entrepreneur is operating in. In the entrepreneur's
background research, emphasis is placed on prior exposure, some
biographical characteristics, and past entrepreneurial experience. A
number of authors have conducted studies to look at psychological
antecedents (such as personality traits and other psychological
characteristics) of entrepreneurial actions (for e.g., Brockhaus, 1982;
Gasse, 1982; Hornaday & Aboud, 1971; Welsch & White, 1981) and
even personal motivation (McClelland, 1961). However, most of the latter
research has not shown any relationship between such characteristics and
entrepreneurship. Similarly, research has not identified any
"standard" personality traits that make some individuals more
likely to become entrepreneurs (Vesper, 1980; Sexton & Bowman,
1985). In the environment studies, researchers have looked at whether
the environment is conducive to entrepreneurship or not. Consequently,
after a careful review of the literature, it was decided to focus only
on those internal factors that have promise for entrepreneurship
research.
The first widely studied antecedent of willingness to engage in
entrepreneurial activities is prior entrepreneurial experience (Collins
& Moore, 1964; Vesper, 1980). It seems very likely that if somebody
has had some prior entrepreneurial experience, then the likelihood of
engaging in further entrepreneurial activities will be higher because
some learning effect would have occurred. Having been an entrepreneur
probably elevates the employee to a higher level of understanding of the
business involved, and will probably encourage further experimenting,
and exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities. Exploitation of
entrepreneurial opportunities involves the proper identification of
entrepreneurial opportunities by the individual, and the subsequent act
of merging of resources from the environment with his or her own unique
resources to create a new combination. Hence, the following proposition
can be advanced:
Proposition 5: Employees with prior entrepreneurial experience have
a higher desire to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities.
A second factor that will determine the degree to which operational
participants want to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities is exposure
to parental business (Morris, Williams, Allen, & Avila, 1997).
Typically, it seems that entrepreneurs have a self-employed parent and
that they follow in the footsteps of their parents, although some of
them opt against self-employment (Brockhaus & Horwitz, 1986).
However, as Krueger (1993) argues, self-efficacy theory posits that
vicarious experience can have a significant impact on attitudes,
beliefs, and intentions. Exposure to and participation in a parental
entrepreneurial venture might change one's view of entrepreneurship
making one more amenable to such ventures. Such vicarious experiences
can also strengthen one's beliefs that one can be successful at
entrepreneurial ventures. Hence,
Proposition 6: Employees with prior parental exposure to
entrepreneurship have a higher desire to exploit entrepreneurial
opportunities.
A third factor that can account for increased desire to exploit
entrepreneurship opportunities is mere exposure to entrepreneurial
activities. Hence, in many formerly communist economies where
individuals have very little entrepreneurial experience or exposure to
parental businesses, entrepreneurship is blossoming. This is possibly
due to exposure to other entrepreneurial businesses and entrepreneurship
workshops organized by other countries setting the stage to start
one's own business. Consequently, we can argue that individuals who
are more exposed to entrepreneurial activities would be more inclined to
become interested in and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities. Hence,
Proposition 7: Exposure to entrepreneurial activities/businesses
increases employees' desire to exploit entrepreneurial
opportunities.
Finally, a background factor that determines employees'
willingness to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities is education. If
the employee is educated in a field that can contribute to the proper
identification and recognition of entrepreneurial opportunities, then
the participant would most likely be more willing to exploit such
opportunities. Education probably gives a more abstract understanding of
situations, and most likely will facilitate the entrepreneurial process.
Hence, it has been found that education is very important for
high-technology entrepreneurs (Cooper, 1979), although its relationship
hasn't been established for more general settings (Hoad &
Rosko, 1964). In addition, Robinson & Sexton (1994) found that those
who were self-employed generally had more formal education and also that
those who had more formal education had more success being
self-employed. Consequently, education probably prepares employees in
terms of understanding the issues inherent in entrepreneurship. The
preparation probably facilitates the road to success. Therefore, the
following can be advanced:
Proposition 8: Employees with directly relevant and applicable
education have a higher desire to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities.
WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT DETERMINE TOP MANAGEMENT'S PERCEIVED
NEED FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP?
In Cell 2 and 4, top management's perception of the need for
entrepreneurship is high. When does such a situation occur? In this
section, it is argued that the top managers' perception for the
need for entrepreneurship will depend primarily on the decision-making
style of the manager and approach towards risk.
An entrepreneurial venture usually involves risk. Top
managers' decision to agree to an entrepreneurial venture will
involve a certain amount of risk. Consequently, managers perceived need
for entrepreneurship will depend on how risk averse they are. In
general, most people are risk averse, preferring a sure thing to a
gamble (Kahneman & Lovallo, 1994). However, some studies have shown
that people can be risk-seeking, specially in situations of losses
(Bateman & Zeithaml, 1989; Fishburn & Kochenberger, 1979). In
addition, some studies have found that as one moves up the hierarchy,
there is more inclination for higher level executives to take risks and
also encourage others to take risks (MacCrimmon & Wehrung, 1986;
Shapira, 1995). In sum, the findings from these studies suggest that
people have different notions of risk. However, it is to be expected
that the more risk-seeking managers will probably be more inclined
towards entrepreneurial ventures. Such managers will most likely be more
willing to accept risky entrepreneurial ventures too. Consequently, the
following can be proposed:
Proposition 9: Risk-seeking managers are more likely to perceive
higher need for entrepreneurship than risk-averse managers.
Perceiving the need for entrepreneurship may also depend on the
managers' decision making heuristics and biases. Two of the most
widely studied decision making styles are overconfidence bias and the
representativeness heuristic (Kahneman, Slovic & Tversky, 1982;
Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). Some managers will tend to be overly
optimistic in their estimation of an entrepreneurial venture based on
initial information received, particularly when they are relatively
unfamiliar with the project (Lichenstein & Fischhoff, 1977), while
others will be may be more rational and methodical in making a decision.
Hence,
Proposition 10: The more overconfident top managers are, the more
likely they perceive the need for entrepreneurship.
Inferences about the need to fund a current project can also be
made in the light of available current information (Busenitz, 1994).
This inference process very often relies on the notion of
"representativeness," a heuristic discussed by Tversky and
Kahneman (1974) as a relation between a hypothetical process and some
event associated with that project. The representativeness argument goes
that top managers will tend to perceive the need for entrepreneurship
(and judge proposed entrepreneurial ventures) in the light of current
knowledge and information that is based on prior experience. If we
assume that an entrepreneurial venture is more of a novelty, then the
manager who relies on the representative heuristic will tend to disfavor
entrepreneurial project, and will most likely not perceive much need for
entrepreneurship. The latter is simply because a new entrepreneurial
project will not fit in the top managers' schema. Consequently, we
can expect that,
Proposition 11: The more a top management uses the representative
heuristic, the less likely they perceive the need for entrepreneurship.
DISCUSSION
The present paper was an attempt to discuss the crucial impact of
internal behavioral factors on the type of C.E. that exists in an
organization. It was shown how the intertaction of individual behaviors
within organizations can result in an organizational phenomenon. This
approach shows that C.E. is not necessarily only an organizational
phenomenon. Also, a number of testable hypotheses (some new, others old)
that can shed some light on the role of these factors were provided.
This paper also clarifies the distinction between corporate
venturing and corporate renewal. It is argued that corporate venturing
(or intrapreneurship) stems more from employees' desire to exploit
entrepreneurial opportunities with minimal support from top management
(Kuratko, Motagno, & Hornsby, 1990) while corporate renewal results
more from top management actions with less support from employees.
An additional issue that can be tackled with this new formulation
of the types of C.E. is its evolution over time. Stopford and
Baden-Fuller's (1994) study of corporate entrepreneurship revealed
that firms can have different forms of C.E. over time, and that the same
firm can also have different forms of entrepreneurship at the same time.
The present discussion of the various types of C.E. can provide a novel
way of why some firms adopt one type of C.E. while others have a
different type. Hence, by building on Stopford and Baden-Fuller's
study, it is argued that any organization goes through stages of C.E. in
a well-defined manner.
In any organization, Cell 1 (Status-Quo) will probably be the
result of careful analysis of the environment and realization that
expected future value of change is not beneficial. Firms in such cells
are not very keen on making any major improvements and may be content
with the status-quo, specially taking into consideration the cost of
change. A good example of an organization from cell 1 might be a small
family business. However, as argued before, the competitive environment
is always changing (Beer et. al., 1990). Ignoring such changes will
inevitably threaten chances of survival. To be able to survive, firms
have to change and innovate. Innovation can only happen if either top
managers or employees or both realize the need to generate and exploit
entrepreneurial opportunities. If employees are the ones who perceive
the need for change (which may be caused by poor results, or threat of
job loss etc.), then firms are in Cell 3 (Corporate Venturing). However,
if top managers are the ones who want change and perceive the need for
entrepreneurship, then firms will be engaged in Cell 2 (Corporate
Renewal).
Stopford and Baden-Fuller (1994) argue that an organization will go
through a definite route to Schumpeterian entrepreneurship. Firms
initially have a few broad-minded individuals and teams that work on
ideas that are remote to the current overall strategy. Eventually, a
chief executive recognizes that a new direction is needed and that there
is a lack of leadership. The chief executive will then examine
entrepreneurial projects more carefully and allow corporate venturing
(Cell 3). Once corporate venturing has taken place, the chief executive
gets a better appreciation of entrepreneurial activity, which reduces
their fear of new projects. Consequently, the executive then embarks on
a program of renewal to change the organization so that entrepreneurial
ventures are encouraged and rewarded (Cell 2). Eventually, the
organization reaches a level where major innovations are possible and
where rules of the industry are changed (Cell 4: Schumepeterian
entrepreneurship).
According to Stopford and Baden-Fuller's (1994) arguments,
firms usually go through stages from corporate venturing (Cell 3) to
renewal (Cell 2) and finally to Schumpeterian entrepreneurship (Cell 4).
However, it is argued here that firms can move from Cell 1 (status-quo)
through either Cells 2 or 3 to Cell 4. Hence, firms can eventually
achieve Schumpeterian entrepreneurship by simply going through corporate
venturing or through renewal, but not necessarily through both
sequentially. The succeeding paragraphs will elaborate on this point.
If corporate venturing has taken place, then it implies that
employees have been able to 'sell' their idea to top
management. Consequently, it is logical to expect that experience with a
novel entrepreneurial project will lessen top managers' fear of
accepting future projects. At the same time, trying a new experience
will lessen managers' representativeness heuristic and
overconfidence bias. Estimates about future projects can be expected to
be more accurate and less of a threat. Consequently, it is very possible
that after a few corporate venture projects, top managers' view of
entrepreneurship will change and they will be more likely to perceive
the need for and accept future projects (depending obviously on budget
constraints). Hence, from Cell 3, the organization can move to Cell 4
(Schumpeterian entrepreneurship). It is appropriately assume that the
level of the employees' interest and involvement in exploiting
entrepreneurial opportunities would not wane. Therefore, once the top
managers also get interested, the firm has no where but to get into Cell
4.
Similarly, if a firm is in Cell 2 (renewal), then top management is
actively involved in changing and creating an a situation where
operational participants are willing to exploit entrepreneurial
opportunities. Renewal is a very challenging task that involves changing
the organization structure and corporate culture so that employees are
encouraged and rewarded for their new ideas and entrepreneurial
projects. Hence, if top management is successful, then that organization
will have a situation where both top managers and operational
participants agree on the importance of entrepreneurship. This agreement
will then increase the likelihood of a shift to Cell 4, whereby
Schumpeterian entrepreneurship is possible. Here again, the assumption
is that the top managers' perception of need for entrepreneurial
activity does not wane. In fact, it is argued that it would only get
stronger.
In summary, it is argued that it is only logical that firms have
different forms of C.E. over time, and that contrary to Stopford and
Baden-Fuller's (1994) argument, an organization can achieve
Schumpeterian entrepreneurship either through corporate venturing or
through renewal. The route a firm takes is dependent on who between top
management and operational participants has the most influence on
entrepreneurial activities of the organization.
CONCLUSION
The present paper was an attempt to propose a theoretical framework
to understand how different types of C.E. emerge in organizations. In
contrast to past studies that have relied on external determinants of
C.E., the dimensions proposed here are primarily of an internal nature
and within the control of management. As such, a proper understanding of
these factors can help in prescribing organizational action to encourage
the desired type of C.E. Academicians can also use these factors to
develop a more complete understanding of C.E. In sum, it is hoped that
the present paper will stir interest and encourage researchers to
develop and empirically test more comprehensive models of C.E.
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Table 1: Review Of Some Classic Articles On C.E.
1. Environmental influences on C.E.
Cooper (1979) The effects of industry structure on
opportunities for successful new product
Development
Miller (1983) Effects of dynamic and hostile environment
on the extent of entrepreneurship in firms
Zajac & Shortell (1989) Impact of environmental changes on generic
strategies
Carter et al., (1994) Identified which strategies dominated in
different industries among new business
ventures
McDougall et al., (1994) Effects of industry growth rate on new
business ventures
2. Strategic leaders influence on C.E.
Kanter (1983) Effects of different management styles on
level and performance of new ventures
Burgelman (1983b) How management effectiveness at promoting
the support of new ideas among peers and
top management affects the degree of
success of implementation
Starr & MacMillan Examined the role of venture managers using
(1990) social contracting as a means of acquiring
resources
3. Organizational forms/strategies/performance influences on C.E.
Tushman et al., (1985) Effects of organizational performance
downturns on changes in innovative
practices and strategic direction
Hitt et al., (1989) Levels of R&D intensity in firms pursuing
strategies of acquisitive growth compared
to firms pursuing strategies of internal
growth through innovation
Dougherty (1990) Effects of organizational factors on the
understanding of the market for new
products in large firms
Lant & Mezias (1990) Explored the relative effectiveness of
entrepreneurial strategies in firms that
encountered environmental restructuring
Naman & Slevin (1993) Conceptualized and measured fit using
variables such as structure, strategy,
entrepreneurial style, and environment
to show that the better the fit, the
better the performance
Shan et al., (1994) The effects of interfirm cooperation on
innovation in biotechnology firm
Table 2
High and low levels of factors
Top Management Perception Of The Need For Entrepreneurial Activity
Low High
Operational Low Cell 1 (Status Quo) Cell 2 (Corporate
Participant's Renewal)
Desire To Exploit
Entrepreneurial High Cell 3 Cell 4
Opportunities (Corporate Venturing) (Schumpeterian
Entrepreneurship)