Influence of Entrepreneurial Teams on the Growth Orientation of Early-Stage High-Tech SMEs in China

Abstract

This paper examines the growth-orientation effects of specific entrepreneurial expertise in an emerging economy. It draws on face-to-face interviews with entrepreneurs of young high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. Using four measures of firm-level performance – that is, employment, profitability, sales turnover and internationalization – the findings show that different types of entrepreneurial teams have different growth intentions depending on the strengths of the team members. The ‘mixed’ type of team optimized performance in general and employment growth in particular, while ‘technology entrepreneurial’ teams were more profit-oriented, and ‘business practice entrepreneurial’ teams were more export-oriented.