Véronique Bouchard

Entrepreneurial Orientation: The Making of a Concept

Researchers in management science are increasingly concerned with the rigour of their research work and their capacity to build knowledge based on a cumulative research model. This article examines the strength of the entrepreneurial orientation construct, extensively used in entrepreneurship and strategy. Based on a close analysis of the seminal literature, the authors propose a critical evaluation of the development of the construct, which is a preliminary condition to enhancing its operationalization.

Exploring the links between entrepreneurial orientation and intrapreneurship in SMEs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the links between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and intrapreneurship within the context of small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper builds on a historical review of the two main currents of the corporate entrepreneurship literature and the distinction established by French scholars between “traditional SMEs” and “miniature large firms”.Findings – The paper summarizes various findings regarding the antecedents of EO and intrapreneurship in SMEs and elaborates a series of testable propositions linking EO to intrapreneurship.Practical implications – The paper posits the existence of different types of SMEs and suggests that the organizational and managerial antecedents of EO differ by type.Originality/value – The paper explores the relation between intrapreneurship and EO, thus connecting two unrelated streams of literature within the field of corporate entrepreneurship.

The future of management as design: a thought experiment

Purpose – Management practices and education are presently in a stage of reappraisal and a growing number of scholars and experts are suggesting that managers should be taught and adopt the approach and methodologies of designers. The purpose of this paper is to imagine the impact of this move and to try and foresee whether “management as design” is an inescapable evolution or just another management fad.Design/methodology/approach – Once the notion of management as design is defined, a thought experiment is proposed to the reader under the guise of a forged business case whose various implications are progressively exposed and discussed.Findings – The adoption of a design approach holds profound transformative potential for the positioning, offer, value chain and processes of firms but it also implies a substantial re‐arranging of the relations between co‐workers, and between managers and subordinates. Beyond the initial shock that the introduction of a radically different approach inevitably entails, ma...

Understanding the impact of culture on firm's entrepreneurial orientation and behaviour: a conceptual framework

Summary The Entrepreneurial Orientation construct is at the heart of Corporate Entrepreneurship. Built around dimensions such as innovativeness, risk-taking, pro-activeness, autonomy and competitive aggressiveness, the Entrepreneurial Orientation construct appears as a useful and powerful tool for assessing entrepreneurial behavior at firm level. Past research has focused on the impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the firm‟s performance. Little empirical research has been devoted to understanding the factors and conditions that produce Entrepreneurial Orientation. Generic explanatory variables such as environment, organization, strategy and culture have been mentioned in past research, but though a number of hypotheses have been proposed, few have been thoroughly developed and tested. In this paper, we focus on one explanatory variable - culture - that we develop along multiple axes. We propose a conceptual framework that aims to provide a better understanding of how three interdependent levels of culture - national, industry and corporate - influence Entrepreneurial Orientation.

MODELING THE 360° INNOVATING FIRM AS A MULTIPLE SYSTEM OR COLLECTIVE BEING

Confronted with fast changing technologies and markets and with increasing competitive pressures, firms are now required to innovate fast and continuously. In order to do so, several firms superpose an intrapreneurial layer (IL) to their formal organization (FO). The two systems are in complex relations: the IL is embedded in the FO, sharing human, financial and technical components, but strongly diverges from it when it comes to representation, structure, values and behavior of the shared components. Furthermore, the two systems simultaneously cooperate and compete. In the long run, the organizational dynamics usually end to the detriment of the intrapreneurial layer, which remains marginal or regresses after an initial period of boom. The concepts of Multiple Systems and Collective Beings, proposed by Minati and Pessa, can help students of the firm adopt a different viewpoint on this issue. These concepts can help them move away from a rigid, Manichean view of the two systems’ respective functions and roles towards a more fluid and elaborate vision of their relations, allowing for greater flexibility and coherence.