Even if entrepreneurial learning (EL) is an important area of research, it remains relatively undeveloped in the context of family SMEs, which are characterized by specific process of learning and change. In particular, little is known about the family role in enhancing or inhibiting EL in family SMEs. Therefore, a vital gap exists in understanding how family SMEs and EL process might be related. This article aims to start filling this gap, examining EL in the context of family SMEs. To this aim the following research question is firstly formulated: how EL takes place in the family SMEs? Furthermore, the paper focuses on the influence of family on the learning process, providing empirical evidences to the following research question: how family impact the EL outcome in family SMEs? The study draws on concepts of communities of practice (CoP) and legitimate peripheral participation in order to investigate the relationship between family’s role and learning through an interpretive and inductive analysis of three case studies. We conduct a “qualitative” analysis based on the multiple case study tecnique, analyzing three companies in-depth and over time by using many different data sources, and developing insights through a comparative logic. Our findings document that some family characteristics have a clear impact on EL process and outcome. Specifically, the study provides two empirical contributions to the existing frame: 1) the family’s role inside the CoPs’ EL process; 2) the family’s role in shaping both the EL type (explorative or explitative) and the speed of learning (quick or slow) and execution processes, by instilling pressure in the social context throughout the CoP. Our exploration of the EL process within the family SMEs context reveals some clear aspects: knowledge creation and sharing occurs within the CoP; the CoPs’ mechanisms of knowledge are strongly influenced by some family characteristics; the interactions among such characteristics affect the EL mechanisms by influencing the type of learning and the speed of learning and execution processes.

Entrepreneurial learning in Family SMEs: The role of family in communities of practices

ROSSIGNOLI, Francesca;
2016-01-01

Abstract

Even if entrepreneurial learning (EL) is an important area of research, it remains relatively undeveloped in the context of family SMEs, which are characterized by specific process of learning and change. In particular, little is known about the family role in enhancing or inhibiting EL in family SMEs. Therefore, a vital gap exists in understanding how family SMEs and EL process might be related. This article aims to start filling this gap, examining EL in the context of family SMEs. To this aim the following research question is firstly formulated: how EL takes place in the family SMEs? Furthermore, the paper focuses on the influence of family on the learning process, providing empirical evidences to the following research question: how family impact the EL outcome in family SMEs? The study draws on concepts of communities of practice (CoP) and legitimate peripheral participation in order to investigate the relationship between family’s role and learning through an interpretive and inductive analysis of three case studies. We conduct a “qualitative” analysis based on the multiple case study tecnique, analyzing three companies in-depth and over time by using many different data sources, and developing insights through a comparative logic. Our findings document that some family characteristics have a clear impact on EL process and outcome. Specifically, the study provides two empirical contributions to the existing frame: 1) the family’s role inside the CoPs’ EL process; 2) the family’s role in shaping both the EL type (explorative or explitative) and the speed of learning (quick or slow) and execution processes, by instilling pressure in the social context throughout the CoP. Our exploration of the EL process within the family SMEs context reveals some clear aspects: knowledge creation and sharing occurs within the CoP; the CoPs’ mechanisms of knowledge are strongly influenced by some family characteristics; the interactions among such characteristics affect the EL mechanisms by influencing the type of learning and the speed of learning and execution processes.
2016
978-1-911218-02-9
Entrepreneurial learning
Family SMEs
Communities of Practice
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/951875
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