IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jglont/v8y2018i1d10.1186_s40497-018-0095-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of networks in technological capability: a technology-based companies perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Cleonir Tumelero

    (School of Economics, Business and Accounting of the University of São Paulo (FEA-USP))

  • Roberto Sbragia

    (School of Economics, Business and Accounting of the University of São Paulo (FEA-USP))

  • Felipe Mendes Borini

    (Superior School of Advertising and Marketing (ESPM))

  • Eliane Cristina Franco

    (Superior School of Advertising and Marketing (ESPM))

Abstract

This study examined the influence of networks on the development of technological capabilities of 90 technology-based companies (TBCs) graduated by Brazilian incubators. The relational-based view theoretically supported the study. The data were processed via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A model with three hypotheses was tested. Two hypotheses were validated, proving that technological and financial networks built by those firms with external agents explained 70.6% of their capacity to innovate. The insertion into technology networks of licensing, universities, suppliers, and consulting shows that the TBCs are making use of relationships of high technical content, which is expected according to previous literature. As for the financial networks, it was observed that the insertion into networks of venture capital and economic subvention demonstrates that the innovation ecosystem presents advancements in the well-known challenge of financial support for technology-based startups. A third hypothesis was not validated, which provides another important finding: the planning effort presented a negative relationship on the technological capability, but a positive relationship on the insertion into relationship networks. This means that only direct planning is not able to support technological capabilities. In other words, planning is more effective when indirectly applied to relational resources of technical and financial networks, rather than when directly applied to technological capabilities. The insertion into technical and financial networks, in turn, positively affects the TBC’s innovation capability. Results demonstrate that this change in planning focus, from inside to outside of the company, could improve technological capabilities in R&D, patent, people, and products. Future studies could investigate the entrepreneur’s competencies in managing networks and further understanding of how networks could be constructed through formal and informal cooperation.

Suggested Citation

  • Cleonir Tumelero & Roberto Sbragia & Felipe Mendes Borini & Eliane Cristina Franco, 2018. "The role of networks in technological capability: a technology-based companies perspective," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 8(1), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jglont:v:8:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1186_s40497-018-0095-5
    DOI: 10.1186/s40497-018-0095-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1186/s40497-018-0095-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1186/s40497-018-0095-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Figueiredo, Paulo N., 2008. "Industrial Policy Changes and Firm-Level Technological Capability Development: Evidence from Northern Brazil," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 55-88, January.
    2. Lall, Sanjaya, 1992. "Technological capabilities and industrialization," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 165-186, February.
    3. Antti-Jussi Tahvanainen, 2004. "Growth Inhibitors Of Entrepreneurial Academic Spin-Offs: The Case Of Finnish Biotechnology," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 1(04), pages 455-475.
    4. Macpherson, Allan & Holt, Robin, 2007. "Knowledge, learning and small firm growth: A systematic review of the evidence," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 172-192, March.
    5. Erik Stam & Karl Wennberg, 2009. "The roles of R&D in new firm growth," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 77-89, June.
    6. Preece, Stephen B. & Miles, Grant & Baetz, Mark C., 1999. "Explaining the international intensity and global diversity of early-stage technology-based firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 259-281, May.
    7. Colombo, Massimo G. & Grilli, Luca, 2005. "Founders' human capital and the growth of new technology-based firms: A competence-based view," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 795-816, August.
    8. Oswald Jones & Dilani Jayawarna, 2010. "Resourcing new businesses: social networks, bootstrapping and firm performance," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(2), pages 127-152, January.
    9. Tahvanainen, Antti-Jussi, 2004. "Academic Spin-offs in Finnish Biotechnology," Discussion Papers 900, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    10. Du, Jingshu & Leten, Bart & Vanhaverbeke, Wim, 2014. "Managing open innovation projects with science-based and market-based partners," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(5), pages 828-840.
    11. Gimmon, Eli & Levie, Jonathan, 2010. "Founder's human capital, external investment, and the survival of new high-technology ventures," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 1214-1226, November.
    12. Nancy Huyghebaert & Linda M. Van de Gucht, 2007. "The Determinants of Financial Structure: New Insights from Business Start‐ups," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 13(1), pages 101-133, January.
    13. Manigart, Sophie & Struyf, Carol, 1997. "Financing High Technology Startups in Belgium: An Explorative Study," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 125-135, April.
    14. Elfring, Tom & Hulsink, Willem, 2003. "Networks in Entrepreneurship: The Case of High-Technology Firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 409-422, December.
    15. Hogan, Teresa & Hutson, Elaine, 2005. "Capital structure in new technology-based firms: Evidence from the Irish software sector," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 369-387, February.
    16. Coviello, Nicole E. & Brodie, Roderick J. & Munro, Hugh J., 2000. "An investigation of marketing practice by firm size," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 15(5-6), pages 523-545.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mayer-Haug, Katrin & Read, Stuart & Brinckmann, Jan & Dew, Nicholas & Grichnik, Dietmar, 2013. "Entrepreneurial talent and venture performance: A meta-analytic investigation of SMEs," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(6), pages 1251-1273.
    2. Nigam, Nirjhar & Benetti, Cristiane & Johan, Sofia A., 2020. "Digital start-up access to venture capital financing: What signals quality?," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    3. Marco Vivarelli, 2013. "Is entrepreneurship necessarily good? Microeconomic evidence from developed and developing countries," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 22(6), pages 1453-1495, December.
    4. Matthews, Russell S. & Chalmers, Dominic M. & Fraser, Simon S., 2018. "The intersection of entrepreneurship and selling: An interdisciplinary review, framework, and future research agenda," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 691-719.
    5. Felipe Rojas & Elena Huergo, 2016. "Characteristics of entrepreneurs and public support for NTBFs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 363-382, August.
    6. T. Vanacker & S. Manigart & M. Meuleman & L. Sels, 2011. "Bootstrapping as a Resource Dependence Management Strategy and its Association with Startup Growth," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 11/740, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    7. Honjo, Yuji, 2021. "The impact of founders’ human capital on initial capital structure: Evidence from Japan," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    8. Grilli, Luca & Murtinu, Samuele, 2018. "Selective subsidies, entrepreneurial founders' human capital, and access to R&D alliances," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10), pages 1945-1963.
    9. Ko, Eun-Jeong & McKelvie, Alexander, 2018. "Signaling for more money: The roles of founders' human capital and investor prominence in resource acquisition across different stages of firm development," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 438-454.
    10. Tarighi, Sina & Shavvalpour, Saeed, 2021. "Technological development of E&P companies in developing countries: An integrative approach to define and prioritize customized elements of technological capability in EOR," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    11. Ana Venâncio & João Jorge, 2022. "The role of accelerator programmes on the capital structure of start-ups," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 1143-1167, October.
    12. Uwe Cantner & Michael Stützer, 2010. "The Use and Effect of Social Capital in New Venture Creation - Solo Entrepreneurs vs. New Venture Teams," Jena Economics Research Papers 2010-012, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    13. Tali Hadasa Blank & Abraham Carmeli, 2021. "Does founding team composition influence external investment? The role of founding team prior experience and founder CEO," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 1869-1888, December.
    14. Larsson, Johan P. & Wennberg, Karl & Wiklund, Johan & Wright, Mike, 2017. "Location choices of graduate entrepreneurs," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(8), pages 1490-1504.
    15. Broström, Anders & Baltzopoulos, Apostolos, 2013. "Higher education experiences and new venture performance," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 321, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    16. Yap, Xiao-Shan & Truffer, Bernhard, 2019. "Shaping selection environments for industrial catch-up and sustainability transitions: A systemic perspective on endogenizing windows of opportunity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 1030-1047.
    17. Demir, Robert & Wennberg, Karl & McKelvie, Alexander, 2016. "The Strategic Management of High-Growth Firms: A Review and Theoretical Conceptualization," Ratio Working Papers 273, The Ratio Institute.
    18. Mirella Schrijvers & Niels Bosma & Erik Stam, 2022. "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Structural Change in European Regions," Working Papers 2202, Utrecht School of Economics.
    19. André van Stel & Lorraine Uhlaner & Haibo Zhou & Valerie Duplat, 2012. "Disentangling the effects of organizational capabilities, innovation and firm size on SME sales growth," Scales Research Reports H201211, EIM Business and Policy Research.
    20. Yagüe-Perales, Rosa M. & March-Chordà, Isidre, 2012. "Performance analysis of research spin-offs in the Spanish biotechnology industry," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(12), pages 1782-1789.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jglont:v:8:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1186_s40497-018-0095-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.