Entrepreneurial Teams, Gender, and New Venture Survival: Contexts and Institutions

Marcus Box,Tommy Larsson Segerlind

doi:10.1177/2158244018777020

Abstract

The link between new venture survival and the presence of founding teams is investigated, in particular the effect of the gender composition of teams. Furthermore, we study venture survival, gender ...

Highlights

This study aims at analyzing the relationship between new venture survival, and the social context(s) of entrepreneurial teams and founding team gender diversity
We use the definition of an entrepreneurial team from Schjoedt and Kraus (2009): An entrepreneurial team consists of two or more persons who have an interest, both financial and otherwise, in and a commitment to a venture’s future and success; whose work is interdependent in the pursuit of a common goals and venture success; who are accountable to the entrepreneurial team and for the venture; who are considered to be at the executive level with executive responsibility in the early phases of the venture, including founding and pre-start up; and who are seen as a social entity by themselves and by others. (p. 515)
Before we develop hypotheses related to gender and the gender composition of founding teams, we first hypothesize on how team gender diversity and homogeneity affect new venture survival

Summary

Introduction

This study aims at analyzing the relationship between new venture survival, and the social context(s) of entrepreneurial teams and founding team gender diversity. Norms, and cultures, including gender principles and logic, established by founders imprint the organizations, and influence the founders’ relations to each other (Yang & Aldrich, 2014), nearly inevitably leading to organizational inertia. These internally set blueprints can seldom be altered—and, if so, only at a great cost, often leading to the dissolution of the organization (Carroll & Khessina, 2005; Hannan, Baron, Hsu, & Koçac, 2006).. These internally set blueprints can seldom be altered—and, if so, only at a great cost, often leading to the dissolution of the organization (Carroll & Khessina, 2005; Hannan, Baron, Hsu, & Koçac, 2006). While setting out from very different theoretical assumptions, the “voluntaristic” perspective and the “deterministic” selection perspective both share the conception that founders are fundamental in explaining organizational performance and differences in performance—which may be outcomes of differences in team compositions

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Conclusion