Moving beyond intermediation: How intermediary organizations shape collaboration dynamics in entrepreneurial ecosystems

Roberto Hernández-Chea,Maral Mahdad,Carsten Nico Hjortsø,Thai Thi Minh

doi:10.1016/j.technovation.2021.102332

Abstract

Recently, increasing attention has been paid to entrepreneurial ecosystems and the process of their formation and function. Researchers have noted the important role that intermediary organizations such as incubators play in connecting various actors within ecosystems. Yet our understanding of this role is limited to a few empirical insights. Using resource dependence and embeddedness as theoretical lenses, the present research examines the role of incubators in entrepreneurial ecosystem formation and function, and analyzes how intermediation activities shape collaboration patterns embedded within entrepreneurial ecosystems. Our findings are based on an empirical investigation of two entrepreneurial ecosystems, one in Kenya and one in Uganda. Our analysis of 38 semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurial actors in these ecosystems reveals the underlying structural, operational, and relational conditions that influence the actors’ interaction with each other. We propose three collaboration patterns that emerge among actors in entrepreneurial ecosystems under these conditions: one-sided dependency-based, joint dependency-based, and mutual dependency-based collaborations. We discuss these patterns in detail and identify the circumstances in which each is most likely to occur. This empirical setting clearly shows that beyond their primary roles of providing space, network, and advice to entrepreneurs, intermediary organizations in entrepreneurial ecosystems play a significant role in orchestrating collaborations. Finally, we reflect on the limitations of this study and offer implications for future research.

Highlights

Research finds that entrepreneurship is one of the most important factors in the economic growth of regions and countries (Mason and Brown, 2014; Content et al, 2020)
We present nine collab oration incidents embedded in the ALPHA and BETA ecosystems, iden tify the incubators’ intermediating roles, and discuss the embeddedness factors that influenced these collaboration incidents
We identified five distinct collaboration types embedded in ALPHA EE, each of which is described in the following as Sub-Cases A, B, C, D, and E, and all of which occurred during the phases of strategic planning, strategy implementation, service design, and implementation of incu bation services

Summary

Introduction

Research finds that entrepreneurship is one of the most important factors in the economic growth of regions and countries (Mason and Brown, 2014; Content et al, 2020). Sig nificant questions remain around how EEs can be formed and what the precise dynamics are of the interactions of the key actors during this formation process (Cavallo et al, 2019; Wurth et al, 2021) These questions become more complex when researchers incorporate the roles of the social, cultural, and political environments in which entrepre neurial activities occur (Welter and Smallbone, 2011; Welter et al, 2019). Answering these questions is important because public author ities and development agencies, recognizing the systemic and context-dependent nature of entrepreneurial activity, design and implement large scale system-level interventions.

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Discussion

Conclusion