Organisational Learning in Startup Development and International Growth

Abstract

Objective: This article explores the conceptual link between the development stages of a startup and organisational learning with the aim to conceptualise the practices of organisational learning levels emerging in specific life cycle stages of a global startup. Research Design & Methods: This article presents a review as well as a synthesis of the extant literature. The research integrates the theories of organisational learning and international entrepreneurship, and offers a conceptual framework that reveals interactions between the constructs in question. Findings: The results suggest that the ontological level and the processes of organisation learning can vary in global startups at different life cycle stages. In addition, the research findings also indicate that, for a global startup, for a successful transition from one cycle to another, learning processes of cyclical entrepreneurship learning have to take place. Implications & Recommendations: The findings of the study have implications in particular for global startup founders and their team members who would like to establish entrepreneurial businesses. Organisation learning practices should be applied in enterprises from the very beginning of the bootstrapping phase with the goal to develop a culture of learning and sharing knowledge when developing the startup idea. Contribution & Value Added: The originality of this work lies in proposing a conceptual framework that examines the organisational learning in startup development and international growth and a set of important considerations for further research, as well as contributing to the literature on international entrepreneurship.