Entrepreneurial teams and early performance of new ventures: An analysis of Taiwanese tech-firms

AbstractEntrepreneurs can learn about potential opportunitiesthrough social interactions with communities of inquiry. However, how do entrepreneurs build such communities, and how do they engage community members over time to develop their potential opportunities? Building on a recent study of eight new ventures and their communities of inquiry over nine months (Shepherd et al. in Journal of Business Venturing, 106033), this chapter presents a social model of opportunity development. The chapter explains how entrepreneurial teams that progress well toward market launch consist of varied specialists who openly engage their communities of inquiry. This open engagement leads such teams to gather diverse information, generate multiple alternatives (technology and market), and test conjectures about their potential opportunities through disconfirmation. In contrast, unsuccessful entrepreneurial teams rely on focused engagement with their communities of inquiry. This focused engagement leads these teams to gather specific information, generate a few related alternatives, and seek to confirm their opportunity conjectures. This chapter highlights new insights into entrepreneurial teams’ engagement with communities of inquiry to explain opportunity development and, ultimately, new venture progress.

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Technology Licensing, Absorptive Capacity, and Early Performance: Evidence from New Ventures in the United States

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2168987 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Yan Chen ◽

Xiangzhen Kong

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Absorptive Capacity ◽

New Ventures ◽

The United States ◽

Technology Licensing ◽

Early Performance

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Effects of CEO humility and relationship conflict on entrepreneurial performance

International Journal of Conflict Management ◽

10.1108/ijcma-09-2019-0154 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 489-508 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yi Li ◽

Feng Wei ◽

Siyue Chen ◽

Yushan Yan

Keyword(s):

New Ventures ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Relationship Conflict ◽

Firm Level ◽

Content Type ◽

Entrepreneurial Performance ◽

Political Skills ◽

Entrepreneurial Teams ◽

Entrepreneurial Team ◽

Humble Leadership

Purpose First, this paper aims to explore how CEO humility and relationship conflict in entrepreneurial teams affect the firm-level performance of new ventures. Second, it investigates the moderating effect of CEO political skills on the indirect association between CEO humility and entrepreneurial performance through relationship conflict in entrepreneurial teams. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was administered to CEOs and their entrepreneurial team members in 171 start-ups in Shanghai, China. The data obtained from the survey were subjected to multiple regression analysis using the SPSS PROCESS macro and confirmatory factor analysis using Mplus. Findings The findings are as follows. First, CEO humility can reduce relationship conflict in entrepreneurial teams. Second, CEO political skills moderate the link between CEO humility and relationship conflict in entrepreneurial teams. The weaker the CEO political skills, the stronger the effect of CEO humility on relationship conflict, and the stronger the CEO political skills, the weaker the effect of CEO humility on relationship conflict. Third, relationship conflict in entrepreneurial teams is negatively related to entrepreneurial performance. Finally, CEO political skills moderate the mediating effect of entrepreneurial team relationship conflict on the CEO humility – entrepreneurial performance link. Practical implications The findings of this study offer guidance for entrepreneurs seeking to improve firm performance. The findings suggest that entrepreneurs should adopt a humble leadership style that cultivates their strengths and minimizes their weaknesses. To improve the centripetal force and cohesion of the entrepreneurial team, they should focus on the team, affirm the contribution of subordinates and accept subordinates’ advice. Originality/value The study reveals that CEO humility has a positive effect on entrepreneurial performance, which enriches research on the effectiveness of humble leadership at the firm level. From the perspective of team relationship conflict, the study also explores the mechanism underlying the effect of CEO humility on entrepreneurial performance, opening the “black box” of CEO humility and entrepreneurial effectiveness. In addition, the study reveals the boundary conditions of the influence of CEO humility, enriching the theoretical literature on humble leadership, political skills and resource conservation.

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