| Abstract |
Introduction Entrepreneurial firms are characterized by their capacity to identify, discover, create and exploit product-market opportunities. Fundamentally, entrepreneurial firms are able achieve these advantages because they marshall their resources to create learning and innovation capabilities. In seeking to offer managerial prescriptions and a compelling explanation of the processes by which independent entrepreneurial firms achieve these advantages, there are three conflicting theoretical viewpoints in the extant literature: (i) independence and substitution; (ii) ambidexterity; and, (iii) complementarity. These competing theoretical explanations of the relationship between learning and innovation reflect and convey a great deal of academic contradiction that, in turn, creates a managerial dilemma. The technology, management and marketing literatures increasingly suggest that the ambidexterity and complementarity perspectives explain the learning-innovation link to performance. However, certain studies question the benefits of such hybrid approaches to resource-deficient entrepreneurial firms owing to a lack of slack resources needed to manage these seemingly incongruous behaviours. Moreover, independent entrepreneurial ventures are almost wholly ignored in the learning-innovation debate. Our nomination of Dr. Caroline Bird as the Fellow to undertake this project will allow us to draw on her extensive experience of business development and innovation. Coupled with her scientific research experience, we feel strongly that the project will be able to most effectively explore sectors where these issues are particularly significant. Key objectives: In this project, the Fellow will investigate in-depth the learning and innovation capabilities that underpin the successful development of independent entrepreneurial venture firms. The project will seek to deliver upon the following objectives: 1. Identify the learning and innovation capabilities that underlie successful development of entrepreneurial ventures. 2. Explore the nature and interaction among learning and innovation capability combinations and development outcomes in entrepreneurial ventures. 3. Develop a causal model that reflects the chain of effects between how firm resources are deployed, capabilities developed and 4. Contribute to developing an integrated theoretical foundation for capability development within an entrepreneurial venture context. Methodology The study will explore the nature and interaction among learning and innovation capability combinations and development outcomes in entrepreneurial ventures. Initially, a series of scoping case studies will be developed of entrepreneurial ventures at different stages of their development. This will be exclusively qualitative. Thereafter, a large, multi-wave, survey will be administered in line with the total design method protocol that sets the standard for advanced survey research methods. Finally, a database will be developed from secondary data of entrepreneurial ventures and their underlying capabilities using a series of methods based on secondary data. Therefore, both primary and secondary, and qualitative and quantitative data will be used to examine the form of causal relationships between learning capabilities and innovation capabilities. In addition, a series of further so-called 'capability sets' (combinations of capabilities) will be included in the large-scale, quantitative study. These will encompass wider organizational capability combinations. The theoretical framework that will guide this project will be a combination of the Organizational Capabilities Theory and the Organizational Economics Theory. |
