Understanding Management Practices in Business Incubators: Empirical Evidence of the Factors Impacting the Incubation Process

Abstract

Following the call for process-oriented research on business incubation processes, this paper investigates the process of business incubation (BI) via an understanding of management practices and interactions. Based on a comprehensive literature review and empirical evidence of management practices in business incubators ([Formula: see text]) dealing with new technology-based firms (NTBFs), we develop a conceptual model of factors having an impact on the incubation process of NTBFs, including propositions that can be tested in future research. Our results show that a combination of six management practices enables BI managers to accelerate the learning curve of entrepreneurs and the start-up process of their firms. Our results help to theorize about the factors having an impact on the incubation process of NTBFs and the dynamics behind the incubation process, and will enable BI managers to develop practices that really help entrepreneurs in the development of their NTBF.