Abstract
This study defines the conceptual structure of corporate entrepreneurship (CE) by looking at the terms scholars have used over the last 26 years of research. With the use of a co-word analysis, five distinctive dimensions of CE and the evolution of related key terms are identified: sustained regeneration, competitive advantage, external entrepreneurship, organizational rejuvenation, and domain redefinition. Over time scholars’ attention has shifted from strategy to entrepreneurship by highlighting the relevance of the terms ‘intrapreneurship’ and ‘entrepreneurial orientation’. Surprisingly, concepts related to strategic entrepreneurship and strategic renewal are less relevant than expected. Besides laying the ground for a shared conceptualization of CE, this study highlights how bibliomeitrics can contribute to decreasing conceptual ambiguity in emergent research fields, such as entrepreneurship. Implications for managers on how to strategically create and develop CE within different organizational settings are also discussed.
Highlights
Corporate entrepreneurship (CE) can be defined as “[...] the process by which teams within an established company conceive, foster, launch and manage a new business that is distinct from the parent company but leverages the parent’s assets, market position, capabilities or other resources” (Wolcott and Lippitz 2007; p. 75)
Based on a co-words analysis, this study delimited (1) the fundamental CE dimensions resulting from 26 years of research, (2) the relationships among these dimensions and the most frequently addressed terms used in association with the concept of CE, (3) and their evolution over time
By relying on these findings, we were able to identify the conceptual structure of CE that mirrors the collective scientific understanding of the topic and an ensemble of future research avenue
Summary
Corporate entrepreneurship (CE) can be defined as “[...] the process by which teams within an established company conceive, foster, launch and manage a new business that is distinct from the parent company but leverages the parent’s assets, market position, capabilities or other resources” (Wolcott and Lippitz 2007; p. 75). Kuratko and Morris (2018) used the concept of CE to describe entrepreneurial behaviours in established mid-sized and large organizations. They referred to CE as a primary strategy in all types of organizations, distinguishing three major components, namely, strategic entrepreneurship, corporate venturing, and entrepreneurial orientations. These components convey an idea of organizational transformation that can assume many different forms and shapes that, in turn, have given rise to multiple facets of CE
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