Ivan M. Manev

Top Management Leadership and Influence on Innovation: The Role of Sociocultural Context

This study proposes and tests a model for top-management influence on innovations. Three research questions are addressed: Is top managers’ influence on innovation a function of their leadership? Does socio-cultural context directly affect leadership? and, Does sociocultural context moderate the relationship of leadership with top-management influence on innovation? These questions are investigated with data from 12 European countries. The results show that leadership factors have strong effects on top-management innovation influence. In support of the culture-specific view of leadership, sociocultural context directly influences leadership and moderates its relationship with organizational innovation.

The Differential Effect of Men and Women Entrepreneurs' Human Capital and Networking on Growth Expectancies in Bulgaria

Based on expectancy theory and social psychology perspectives, this study looks at the differential effects of men and women entrepreneurs’ human capital and networking on their growth expectancies in the context of a transitional economy. Survey data from men and women new venture owners in Bulgaria (n = 544) suggest that growth expectancy among men is significantly and positively associated with outside advice achieved through networking. Among women entrepreneurs, growth expectancy is significantly and positively associated with perceived benefits from prior experience. A Chow test for coefficient differences reveals that the determinants of growth expectancy for women entrepreneurs are significantly different than those for men, rendering support for perspectives from social psychology, which suggest that women have different socialization experiences and, as a result, conceive of their new venture growth differently. Implications for managerial practice and public policy are discussed.

Balancing Ties: Boundary Spanning and Influence in the Organization's Extended Network of Communication

In this study of the business communication that connects an organization with others in its environment, we link boundary spanning with network theory and propose the concept of an extended network of communication. This extended net work is the structure of business communication which flows in work-related ties that organization members maintain both within the organization and across its boundary. We study the relationship between boundary-spanning communication and individual influence in a network with 108 organizational members. We find that boundary spanning correlates with influence, regardless of hierarchical level. There is also a curvilinear relationship between boundary-spanning communication and individual influence. Thus, managers need to balance their communication within and across the organizational boundary.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN TRANSITIONAL ECONOMIES: REVIEW AND INTEGRATION OF TWO DECADES OF RESEARCH

This review maps research on entrepreneurship in transitional economies since the start of institutional reforms. Data came from 129 academic journal articles published between 1990 and 2009. 62 articles reported research on macro (country) level, discussing the nature and speed of reform, credit constraints, assistance programs and the role of small business for economic development. 67 articles studied micro (firm) level factors, but only 14 of them employed data analytical methods to study what explains entrepreneurial success, suggesting a role for networking, industry experience and entrepreneurial orientation. We suggest more research on understanding the context of entrepreneurship, with a special focus on the informal institutional environment and industry structure. Also, future research can explore topics such as strategic agendas, opportunity identification and entrepreneurial cognition, which have been rare to date. We particularly emphasize the need for rigorous and replicable large-scale empirical studies.

The role of interpersonal trust for entrepreneurial exchange in a transition economy

Purpose – While trust is widely recognized as central to the establishment of an effective market economy, research on transition economies has not examined sufficiently its role in promulgating economic development. This study seeks to ascertain the links between supplier trust, asset specificity, and uncertainty reduction in the context of a transition economy, and to validate a measure of trust developed in a Western developed market economy in the conditions of a transition economy.Design/methodology/approach – A confirmatory factor analysis of trust, asset specificity and uncertainty reduction was performed with a sample of Bulgarian small business owners.Findings – Commensurate with expectations, supplier trust is significantly and positively associated with both asset specificity and uncertainty reduction. The six‐item measure of supplier trust is a valid measure for new and small ventures in the context of a transition economy.Originality/value – This paper demonstrates that private entrepreneurs ...

Friends with money? Owner’s financial network and new venture internationalization in a transition economy

This article explores the role of the diversity of the domestic financial networks for the internationalization of entrepreneurial ventures in transition economies. Building on network theories of social exchange and resource dependency, it hypothesizes that the diversity of the entrepreneurial venture’s financial network will have a positive effect on internationalization and this effect will be amplified by the diversity of the entrepreneur’s personal network and the size of the new venture. A survey data collection methodology is used and three hypotheses are tested on a sample of new and small ventures in Bulgaria. Regression results show that the diversity of the domestic financial network has a positive effect on internationalization, and that its role increases with the size of the new venture. Implications for the theory of small firm internationalization, managerial practice and public policy are discussed.

The managerial network in a multinational enterprise and the resource profiles of subsidiaries

This paper studies how the managerial network in a multinational enterprise (MNE) influences the resource profiles of its subsidiaries. The network view of the MNE and the recent literature on MNE subsidiaries provide bases for suggesting two distinct mechanisms through which the managerial network exercises an impact: isomorphism of resource allocation practices and horizontal specialization. The theoretical predictions are tested with data about the network of lateral ties among subsidiary managers in a private nonprofit MNE and the budget allocations in its subsidiaries. Results indicate qualified support for isomorphism and strong support for specialization. When managers interact in a network, their decisions for resource allocation within their subsidiaries may influence the MNE resource configuration across subsidiaries as well.

Are pure or hybrid strategies right for new ventures in transition economies

This article examines the role of strategic intensity or commitment to a chosen course of action, and the impact of pure versus hybrid competitive strategies on competitive performance in transition economies, using survey data (N = 333) from Bulgaria. We find that strategic intensity is positively related to performance; firms that deviate from pure cost leadership or differentiation and achieve a balance on both dimensions report superior performance. In a post hoc analysis of our data, we find preliminary evidence that strategic intensity may act as a mediator of the relationship between strategic type and performance.