Title: The influence of strategic entrepreneurship on the outcome of innovation projects

Authors: Astrid Heidemann Lassen, Bjorge Timenes Laugen

Addresses: Center for Industrial Production, Aalborg University, Fibigerstraede 16, 9220 Aalborg OE, Denmark. ' UiS Business School, University of Stavanger, Telegrafdirektor Heftyes vei 35, 4036 Stavanger, Norway

Abstract: In light of the increasing need for innovation facing businesses in a complex marketplace, the construct of strategic entrepreneurship is attracting considerable attention. It calls for the integration of the seemingly opposing logics of strategic advantage-seeking and entrepreneurial opportunity-seeking behaviours. Based on a sample of responses from 512 Danish engineers, the present study explores whether the integration of the two is empirically valid and, if so, how such a construct affects the innovative outcome generated. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, the findings suggest that firms that are successful in carrying out radical innovation are driven by intended strategic decisions that enable them to exploit radical innovation within the existing organisational framework while also developing and transforming the original firm. The result lends empirical support to the integrative logic behind the concept of strategic entrepreneurship and demonstrates that radical innovation is best created and exploited on the basis of an explicit strategic intent.

Keywords: strategic entrepreneurship; radical innovation; survey; Denmark; strategic advantage; entrepreneurial opportunities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEME.2011.041997

International Journal of Engineering Management and Economics, 2011 Vol.2 No.2/3, pp.208 - 230

Published online: 20 Aug 2011 *

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