Erich J. Schwarz

Entrepreneurial team locus of control: diversity and trust

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how internal locus of control (LOC) as a well-established entrepreneurial personality trait at team level impacts team performance (effectiveness and efficiency) in Austria. In addition, it investigates the interaction effects of LOC diversity and affective trust on the internal LOC-performance relationship. Design/methodology/approach – Data originated from 44 entrepreneurial teams based in nine business incubators in Austria. Partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling was used to estimate the model. Findings – Results indicate that higher internal LOC at team level promotes entrepreneurial team effectiveness and efficiency. However, team efficiency is increased when such teams possess a high internal LOC and low LOC diversity. Affective trust is identified as a crucial component in enhancing entrepreneurial team effectiveness, especially when the team has a high internal LOC. Originality/value – This study extends research on internal LOC ...

Innovative Entrepreneurial Teams: The Give and Take of Trust and Conflict

Entrepreneurship research lacks empirical evidence about interactions between entrepreneurial team members. This paper examines the role of trust (cognitive and affective) and conflict (task and relationship) on team performance (effectiveness and efficiency) of innovative entrepreneurial teams. Data originated from 88 incubator‐based entrepreneurial teams in Austria. Results indicate that cognitive trust is the cornerstone of innovative entrepreneurial team performance. To maximize efficiency, such teams would rely on high cognitive trust and low task conflict. Nonetheless, the guidelines for being effective centre around high cognitive trust coupled with low task and relationship conflict.

New Venture Performance in the Transition Economies: A Conceptual Model

Entrepreneurial activity is a critical issue in the transition of economies attempting to reduce, or abolish state-owned monopoly enterprises. In many Central and Eastern European countries, privatization, restructuring, and failure of state-owned enterprises as consequences of the reforms typically led to a reduction of the size of the workplace. For example, in Poland, about 3.5 million employees lost their jobs in the period 1991–1996 (PEAD, 2003). After the collapse of communism in Europe, post-communist countries have undertaken reforms to liberalize their economies. These reforms stimulated the development in the private sector of small and medium-sized enterprises. New ventures provide a counterbalance to the loss of jobs at state-owned companies. In the period 1991–1996, new enterprises in the private sector in Poland created more than 1.8 million jobs. By the end of 2002, they provided work for 68% of the total employed persons (PEAD, 2003). Further, new ventures can play a critical role in stimulating economic growth. As a result of market reforms, the contribution of the private sector to Gross Domestic Product, e.g., in Hungary, went from 7% in 1988 to 85% in 1999 (World Bank, 2000). However, many new ventures do not survive the first year of operation. For example, in Poland, about 40–45% enterprises established in the period 1995–2000 failed after the first year of their existence (PEAD, 2003).

Prozessmodell zur systematischen Geschäftsmodellinnovation

Die Bedeutung innovativer Geschaftsmodelle fur den langfristigen Unternehmenserfolg wird seit einigen Jahren sowohl in der Wissenschaft als auch der betrieblichen Praxis vermehrt erkannt. Wenig diskutiert werden dabei Modelle, die bei der Entwicklung innovativer Geschaftsmodelle unterstutzen. Hier setzt dieser Beitrag an, in dem ein dreiphasiges Prozessmodell zur systematischen Innovation von Geschaftsmodellen vorgestellt wird.