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Networked Resource Access and Networked Growth: A Double Network Hypothesis on the Innovative Entrepreneurial Firm

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New Developments in the Theory of Networks

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

Abstract

Through an empirical study on new innovative entrepreneurial firms, we test the hypothesis that there are positive complementarities between firms’ networked access to human, technical and financial resources and the networked growth of those firms. This “double network hypothesis” supports a view of entrepreneurial firms generating value through shifting combinations of resources and growing by external networks, rather than as a necessarily unique combination of highly specific resources. In addition, the test of complementarities between types of networks bringing resources to the firm and types of networks through which growth occurs, contributes a much needed specification of the sources of complementarities among organizational practices, at least as far as network practices are concerned.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Reviews of the empirical evidence are provided by Autio (1997a, b) and Storey and Tether (1998).

  2. 2.

    This study adopts a definition of NTBFs as firms younger than 25 years operating in high-tech industries. There are a variety of definitions for NTBFs (see Storey and Tether (1998) for an in-depth discussion). In particular, some studies adopt a definition similar to ours, while others opt for narrower definitions such as firms engaged in the development of new technologies.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is based on research conducted within the project “Human resource development and firm growth in technologically advanced industries”. The project was carried out at CRORA (Center of Research on Business Organization, Bocconi University) under the direction of Anna Grandori, in the framework of a national project on NTBFs funded by MIUR (the Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research) and coordinated by Massimo Colombo (Politecnico of Milan and University of Pavia). The authors wish to thank Tommaso Buganza for useful suggestions during the design phase. Research assistance from Anna Canato and Alessandra Carlone is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Institute of Organization and Information Systems (IOSI), Management and Technology Department, Università Bocconi, Via Röntgen 1., 20136, Milano, Italy

    Anna Grandori

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  1. Anna Grandori
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  2. Eugenia Cacciatori
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Correspondence to Anna Grandori .

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  1. , School of Business and Economics, University of Jyväskylä, MaE, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland

    Mika Tuunanen

  2. Fak. Sozial-u.Wirtschaftswiss., Inst. BWL / LS Organisation, Universität Wien, Brünner Str. 72, Wien, 1210, Austria

    Josef Windsperger

  3. Centre Recherche en Economic et, Management (CREM), Universite de Rennes 1, rue Jean Macé 11, Rennes CX, 35708, France

    Gérard Cliquet

  4. School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burg. Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam, 3000 DR, Netherlands

    George Hendrikse

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Grandori, A., Cacciatori, E. (2011). Networked Resource Access and Networked Growth: A Double Network Hypothesis on the Innovative Entrepreneurial Firm. In: Tuunanen, M., Windsperger, J., Cliquet, G., Hendrikse, G. (eds) New Developments in the Theory of Networks. Contributions to Management Science. Physica, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7908-2615-9_14

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