Networks are often seen as the seedbed from which new ideas around business and technology originate. Rather than being the product of "lone genius", advancements in science and technology stem from a combination of interactions and collaborations. Our research looks into the role of entrepreneurial ecosystems in driving entrepreneurial founding, growth and scaleup, how inter-firm relationships help firms to adapt to and transform ever-changing market and technological environments, and how interpersonal networking helps entrepreneurs and innovators alike to successfully pursue novel ideas.
Sub-themes
A large number of technology-based entrepreneurial firms are founded in a limited number of locations, in entrepreneurial ecosystems such as Silicon Valley on the US East Coast and London’s Tech City. In recent years, academics and policymakers have demonstrated increasing interest in entrepreneurial ecosystems and their potential to foster high-growth entrepreneurship and innovation. In part, this is motivated by the capacity of ecosystems to facilitate the formation of networks that are believed to be critical for entrepreneurs to grow their business.In our research, we seek to better understand how ecosystems facilitate processes of entrepreneurial discovery, pursuit and scale-up.
A critical component of firm strategy is to manage its relationship with other firms, such as alliance partners, clients and suppliers. Firms are embedded in wide and complex networks of inter-firm relations that can come under severe strain if firms face unanticipated adverse events, such as accidents. A firm’s relations may also be subject to change if they merge with another firm or are acquired. Our research looks into how firms manage their reputation in a bid to keep their inter-firm relations in a healthy shape.
EU-funded research
Networking for Innovation
IB Knowledge
Corporate partnerships: how deals can unite or alienate your employees
Dual networking: the secret to effective partnerships in innovation
Where are we going wrong with our networking?
Selected academic output
- Digital affordances, spatial affordances, and the genesis of entrepreneurial ecosystems by Erkko Autio, Satish Nambisan, Llewellyn D. W. Thomas and Mike Wright
- Capability reputation, character reputation, and exchange partners’ reactions to adverse events by Brian Park and Michelle Rogan
- Managerial networks and exploration in a professional service firm by Michelle Rogan and Marie Louise Mors
- Dual networking: how collaborators network in their quest for innovation by Anne ter Wal, Paola Criscuolo, Bill McEvily and Ammon Salter