IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v32y2023i2p936-957.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Market transformations as collaborative change: Institutional co‐evolution through small business entrepreneurship

Author

Listed:
  • Linda Westman
  • Christopher Luederitz
  • Aravind Kundurpi
  • Alexander Julian Mercado
  • Sarah Lynn Burch

Abstract

Entrepreneurship may be one entry point to trigger transformations toward sustainability. Yet, there is limited knowledge on the ability of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) to play a role in transformation processes, beyond the initial stages of niche innovation. Building on data collected through 125 interviews in Toronto, Vancouver and London, we examine perceived contributions of SME‐led sustainable entrepreneurship to market transformations. Our data show that sustainable entrepreneurs face significant constraints in individually exercising influence over mass markets, as they encounter social forces that generate resistance to change. However, SMEs are able to act collaboratively to shape transformation processes. We propose three mechanisms of institutional co‐evolution that capture these contributions: network learning, collective norm‐construction and collaborative advocacy.

Suggested Citation

  • Linda Westman & Christopher Luederitz & Aravind Kundurpi & Alexander Julian Mercado & Sarah Lynn Burch, 2023. "Market transformations as collaborative change: Institutional co‐evolution through small business entrepreneurship," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 936-957, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:32:y:2023:i:2:p:936-957
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.3083
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3083
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.3083?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. Hockerts, Kai & Wüstenhagen, Rolf, 2010. "Greening Goliaths versus emerging Davids -- Theorizing about the role of incumbents and new entrants in sustainable entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 481-492, September.
    2. Betsy Donald & Alison Blay-Palmer, 2006. "The Urban Creative-Food Economy: Producing Food for the Urban Elite or Social Inclusion Opportunity?," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 38(10), pages 1901-1920, October.
    3. Cheryl Rodgers, 2010. "Sustainable entrepreneurship in SMEs: a case study analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(3), pages 125-132, May.
    4. Meek, William R. & Pacheco, Desirée F. & York, Jeffrey G., 2010. "The impact of social norms on entrepreneurial action: Evidence from the environmental entrepreneurship context," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 493-509, September.
    5. Cohen, Boyd & Winn, Monika I., 2007. "Market imperfections, opportunity and sustainable entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 29-49, January.
    6. Alistair R. Anderson & Johan Gaddefors, 2016. "Entrepreneurship as a community phenomenon; reconnecting meanings and place," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 28(4), pages 504-518.
    7. Wendy Stubbs, 2019. "Strategies, practices, and tensions in managing business model innovation for sustainability: The case of an Australian BCorp," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(5), pages 1063-1072, September.
    8. Herrigel, Gary, 2010. "Manufacturing Possibilities: Creative Action and Industrial Recomposition in the United States, Germany, and Japan," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199557738.
    9. Dorothée Baumann-Pauly & Christopher Wickert & Laura Spence & Andreas Scherer, 2013. "Organizing Corporate Social Responsibility in Small and Large Firms: Size Matters," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(4), pages 693-705, July.
    10. Jamie Newth & Christine Woods, 2014. "Resistance to Social Entrepreneurship: How Context Shapes Innovation," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(2), pages 192-213, May.
    11. Mengli Zhao & Jinxin Liu & Chengli Shu, 2021. "Pursuing sustainable development through green entrepreneurship: An institutional perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 4281-4296, December.
    12. Hall, Jeremy K. & Daneke, Gregory A. & Lenox, Michael J., 2010. "Sustainable development and entrepreneurship: Past contributions and future directions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 439-448, September.
    13. Heledd Jenkins, 2006. "Small Business Champions for Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 67(3), pages 241-256, September.
    14. Pablo Muñoz & Boyd Cohen, 2018. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship Research: Taking Stock and looking ahead," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 300-322, March.
    15. Stefan Schaltegger & Marcus Wagner, 2011. "Sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainability innovation: categories and interactions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(4), pages 222-237, May.
    16. Chiara Pellegrini & Eleonora Annunziata & Francesco Rizzi & Marco Frey, 2019. "The role of networks and sustainable intrapreneurship as interactive drivers catalyzing the adoption of sustainable innovation," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(5), pages 1026-1048, September.
    17. Hannon, Matthew J. & Foxon, Timothy J. & Gale, William F., 2013. "The co-evolutionary relationship between Energy Service Companies and the UK energy system: Implications for a low-carbon transition," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 1031-1045.
    18. Alison Morrison & John Breen & Shameem Ali, 2003. "Small Business Growth: Intention, Ability, and Opportunity," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(4), pages 417-425, October.
    19. Christopher Luederitz & Guido Caniglia & Barry Colbert & Sarah Burch, 2021. "How do small businesses pursue sustainability? The role of collective agency for integrating planned and emergent strategy making," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 3376-3393, November.
    20. Pacheco, Desirée F. & Dean, Thomas J. & Payne, David S., 2010. "Escaping the green prison: Entrepreneurship and the creation of opportunities for sustainable development," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 464-480, September.
    21. Bruyat, Chirstian & Julien, Pierre-Andre, 2001. "Defining the field of research in entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 165-180, March.
    22. Totti Könnölä & Gregory C. Unruh, 2007. "Really changing the course: the limitations of environmental management systems for innovation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(8), pages 525-537, December.
    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. Progress Choongo & Elco Van Burg & Leo J. Paas & Enno Masurel, 2016. "Factors Influencing the Identification of Sustainable Opportunities by SMEs: Empirical Evidence from Zambia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-24, January.
    2. Matthew P. Johnson & Stefan Schaltegger, 2020. "Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development: A Review and Multilevel Causal Mechanism Framework," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(6), pages 1141-1173, November.
    3. Ana Criado-Gomis & Amparo Cervera-Taulet & Maria-Angeles Iniesta-Bonillo, 2017. "Sustainable Entrepreneurial Orientation: A Business Strategic Approach for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-20, September.
    4. Trin Thananusak, 2019. "Science Mapping of the Knowledge Base on Sustainable Entrepreneurship, 1996–2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-20, June.
    5. Eduard-Gabriel Ceptureanu & Sebastian-Ion Ceptureanu & Mihai Cristian Orzan & Ovidiu Niculae Bordean & Violeta Radulescu, 2017. "Empirical Study on Sustainable Opportunities Recognition. A Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Joinery Industry Analysis Using Augmented Sustainable Development Process Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-36, September.
    6. Pablo Muñoz & Boyd Cohen, 2018. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship Research: Taking Stock and looking ahead," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 300-322, March.
    7. Aikaterini Argyrou & Nicolas Chevrollier & Andre Nijhof, 2023. "The versatile role of sustainable market entrepreneurs in market transformation: An intervention framework for institutional change," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 259-273, January.
    8. Torbjörn Ljungkvist & Jim Andersén, 2021. "A taxonomy of ecopreneurship in small manufacturing firms: A multidimensional cluster analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1374-1388, February.
    9. Muñoz, Pablo & Dimov, Dimo, 2015. "The call of the whole in understanding the development of sustainable ventures," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 632-654.
    10. Jonatan Pinkse & Koen Groot, 2015. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Corporate Political Activity: Overcoming Market Barriers in the Clean Energy Sector," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 39(3), pages 633-654, May.
    11. Séverine Le Loarne Lemaire & Meriam Razgallah & Adnane Maalaoui & Sascha Kraus, 2022. "Becoming a green entrepreneur: An advanced entrepreneurial cognition model based on a practiced-based approach," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 801-828, June.
    12. Jackson Musona & Kaisu Puumalainen & Helena Sjögrén & Anna Vuorio, 2021. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship at the Bottom of the Pyramid: An Identity-Based Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-37, January.
    13. DiVito, Lori & Bohnsack, René, 2017. "Entrepreneurial orientation and its effect on sustainability decision tradeoffs: The case of sustainable fashion firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 569-587.
    14. Matthias Filser & Sascha Kraus & Norat Roig-Tierno & Norbert Kailer & Ulrike Fischer, 2019. "Entrepreneurship as Catalyst for Sustainable Development: Opening the Black Box," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-18, August.
    15. Diego Matricano, 2017. "The influence of sustainable entrepreneurship culture on start-up expectations: A comparative analysis," RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA', FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 0(1), pages 71-89.
    16. Lori DiVito & Zita Ingen-Housz, 2021. "From individual sustainability orientations to collective sustainability innovation and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1057-1072, February.
    17. I. E. Nikolaou & K. Tasopoulou & K. Tsagarakis, 2018. "A Typology of Green Entrepreneurs Based on Institutional and Resource-based Views," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 27(1), pages 111-132, March.
    18. Matthew P. Johnson & Jacob Hörisch, 2022. "Reinforcing or counterproductive behaviors for sustainable entrepreneurship? The influence of causation and effectuation on sustainability orientation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 908-920, March.
    19. Neil A. Thompson, 2018. "Biofuels are (Not) the Future! Legitimation Strategies of Sustainable Ventures in Complex Institutional Environments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-14, April.
    20. Daniel Arenas & Marta Strumińska‐Kutra & Paolo Landoni, 2020. "Walking the tightrope and stirring things up: Exploring the institutional work of sustainable entrepreneurs," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3055-3071, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bla:bstrat:v:32:y:2023:i:2:p:936-957. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    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.