Entrepreneurial firms and technology dominance: the role of network dynamics on organizational legitimacy in the process of technology development.

摘要

In this paper we study the influence of the network of actors on the chances that a start-up will be successful in commercializing a new high technology product. Scholars in the area of technology management have conducted multiple studies of factors mat influence technology dominance where the focus lies on factors that can be influenced by the firm (firm-level factors) and factors that are given in specific industries which can hardly be influenced by firms (environmental factors). Conversely, scholars in entrepreneurship have mainly aimed at understanding how firm level factors such as network position and start-up team composition affects their start-up performance. Despite the efforts made in both the fields of technology management and entrepreneur ship, few studies have included both views from technology management and entrepreneurship to understand the successful commercialization of new high technology products. A common research approach in both fields of technology management and entrepreneurship is network analyses. In social network literature it is argued that the performance of actors in either product development or firm success depends on their embeddedness in technological and social networks. This paper reports the findings of a longitudinal study of the development and evolution of the market network of a new high-technology start-up and how the start-up can use its position in a social network on its chances of reaching dominance with its product.