Entrepreneurial innovation requires the integration of skills and knowledge from multiple sources internal and external to the firm. Effective management of the network of external contributors requires the identification and selection of sources of knowledge and competencies required by the process, the integration of this knowledge along the process and the retention of the value of the generated knowledge. Preliminary findings from a longitudinal study of product innovation in six entrepreneurial ventures suggest that the likelihood of successful management of the knowledge flows in entrepreneurial ventures is increased by a solid base of related knowledge, by the existence of boundary-spanning roles, by a deep personal involvement in all the activities where knowledge is produced, by physical proximity with the partners, and by a careful design of the incentive system that links all the contributors to the learning process. The conceptual framework that is emerging from our study may represent a first step towards a learning-based theory of the entrepreneurial process that focuses on the underlying process of acquisition, production and retention of knowledge.
Managing External Contributions to The Innovation Process in Entrepreneurial Ventures: A Knowledge-based Perspective
RAVASI, DAVIDE
2001
Abstract
Entrepreneurial innovation requires the integration of skills and knowledge from multiple sources internal and external to the firm. Effective management of the network of external contributors requires the identification and selection of sources of knowledge and competencies required by the process, the integration of this knowledge along the process and the retention of the value of the generated knowledge. Preliminary findings from a longitudinal study of product innovation in six entrepreneurial ventures suggest that the likelihood of successful management of the knowledge flows in entrepreneurial ventures is increased by a solid base of related knowledge, by the existence of boundary-spanning roles, by a deep personal involvement in all the activities where knowledge is produced, by physical proximity with the partners, and by a careful design of the incentive system that links all the contributors to the learning process. The conceptual framework that is emerging from our study may represent a first step towards a learning-based theory of the entrepreneurial process that focuses on the underlying process of acquisition, production and retention of knowledge.
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