IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/tvecsg/v109y2018i2p173-188.html

Start‐up Communities as Communities of Practice: Shining a Light on Geographical Scale and Membership

Author

Listed:
  • Marijn A. van Weele
  • Henk J. Steinz
  • Frank J. van Rijnsoever

Abstract

The development of start‐up communities is seen as critical to the successful development of entrepreneurship in a region. However, it remains unclear what exactly start‐up communities are and how they can be facilitated. Ambiguity concerning the geographical scale and membership of start‐up communities leads to different conceptualisations. In this paper, we apply communities of practice (CoP) theory to understand how conceptualisations of start‐up communities work and how they can be facilitated. To this end, we qualitatively study start‐up communities in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, Australia. Our results show that start‐up communities that are confined to a particular workspace strongly resemble a CoP. Furthermore, many elements of CoPs can also be found in regional start‐up communities. Finally, we find that workspace communities have more direct and top‐down facilitation activities, while regional start‐up communities have more indirect and bottom‐up facilitation activities.

Suggested Citation

  • Marijn A. van Weele & Henk J. Steinz & Frank J. van Rijnsoever, 2018. "Start‐up Communities as Communities of Practice: Shining a Light on Geographical Scale and Membership," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 109(2), pages 173-188, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:tvecsg:v:109:y:2018:i:2:p:173-188
    DOI: 10.1111/tesg.12277
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12277
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/tesg.12277?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. Michael W-P Fortunato & Theodore Alter, 2015. "Community entrepreneurship development: an introduction," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(5), pages 444-455, December.
    2. Bollingtoft, Anne & Ulhoi, John P., 2005. "The networked business incubator--leveraging entrepreneurial agency?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 265-290, March.
    3. Giuliani, Elisa & Bell, Martin, 2005. "The micro-determinants of meso-level learning and innovation: evidence from a Chilean wine cluster," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 47-68, February.
    4. Bjorn Asheim & Helen Lawton Smith & Christine Oughton, 2011. "Regional Innovation Systems: Theory, Empirics and Policy," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(7), pages 875-891.
    5. Joanne Roberts, 2006. "Limits to Communities of Practice," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(3), pages 623-639, May.
    6. Mariano Nieto & Nuria González-Álvarez, 2016. "Social capital effects on the discovery and exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 507-530, June.
    7. Erik Stam, 2015. "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Regional Policy: A Sympathetic Critique," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(9), pages 1759-1769, September.
    8. Ibert, Oliver & Müller, Felix C., 2015. "Network dynamics in constellations of cultural differences: Relational distance in innovation processes in legal services and biotechnology," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 181-194.
    9. Ben Spigel, 2017. "The Relational Organization of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(1), pages 49-72, January.
    10. John Seely Brown & Paul Duguid, 2001. "Knowledge and Organization: A Social-Practice Perspective," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 198-213, April.
    11. Amin, Ash & Roberts, Joanne, 2008. "Knowing in action: Beyond communities of practice," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 353-369, March.
    12. Hans Westlund & Johan P. Larsson & Amy Rader Olsson, 2014. "Start-ups and Local Entrepreneurial Social Capital in the Municipalities of Sweden," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(6), pages 974-994, June.
    13. Rolf Sternberg, 2007. "Entrepreneurship, Proximity And Regional Innovation Systems," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 98(5), pages 652-666, December.
    14. John Seely Brown & Paul Duguid, 1991. "Organizational Learning and Communities-of-Practice: Toward a Unified View of Working, Learning, and Innovation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 40-57, February.
    15. Maryann P. Feldman & Johanna L. Francis, 2003. "Fortune Favours the Prepared Region: The Case of Entrepreneurship and the Capitol Region Biotechnology Cluster," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(7), pages 765-788, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kuebart, Andreas, 2022. "Open creative labs as functional infrastructure for entrepreneurial ecosystems: Using sequence analysis to explore tempo-spatial trajectories of startups in Berlin," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(9).
    2. Kuebart, Andreas & Ibert, Oliver, 2019. "Beyond territorial conceptions of entrepreneurial ecosystems: The dynamic spatiality of knowledge brokering in seed accelerators," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 63(2-4), pages 118-133.
    3. van Rijnsoever, Frank J. & Eveleens, Chris P., 2021. "Money Don't matter? How incubation experience affects start-up entrepreneurs' resource valuation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    4. Noack, Anika, 2022. "Knowledge and Technology Transfer under Digital Conditions: Transfer Intermediaries in Eastern Germany and the Role of Digital Means, Trust and Face-to-Face Interactions," fast track to transfer – Working Paper Series 004, Technical University of Wildau and the Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus-Senftenberg, Innovation Hub 13 - fast track to transfer.
    5. van Rijnsoever, Frank J., 2022. "Intermediaries for the greater good: How entrepreneurial support organizations can embed constrained sustainable development startups in entrepreneurial ecosystems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(2).
    6. van Rijnsoever, Frank J., 2020. "Meeting, mating, and intermediating: How incubators can overcome weak network problems in entrepreneurial ecosystems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(1).

    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. Kuebart, Andreas & Ibert, Oliver, 2019. "Beyond territorial conceptions of entrepreneurial ecosystems: The dynamic spatiality of knowledge brokering in seed accelerators," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 63(2-4), pages 118-133.
    2. Sandra Dubouloz & Anne Berthinier-Poncet & Luciana Castro Gonçalves & Emilie Ruiz & Catherine Thevenard-Puthod, 2021. "Innovation communities: from their characterization to the questioning of their boundaries [Comunidades de innovación: desde su caracterización hasta el cuestionamiento de sus fronteras]," Post-Print hal-02891869, HAL.
    3. Sandra Dubouloz & Anne Berthinier-Poncet & Luciana Castro Gonçalves & Emilie Ruiz & Catherine Thevenard-Puthod, 2020. "Communautés d'innovation : de leur caractérisation au questionnement de leurs frontières," Working Papers hal-02891869, HAL.
    4. Brett Anitra Gilbert & Yuanyuan Li & Andres Velez-Calle & Marcus Crews, 2020. "A theoretical model of values and behaviors that shape technology region emergence in developing contexts," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 179-191, June.
    5. Ivory, Chris & Casey, Rebecca & Watson, Kayleigh, 2016. "The role of mobile ICT in repair worker communities of practice," 27th European Regional ITS Conference, Cambridge (UK) 2016 148676, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    6. Martin Queissner & Lennard Stolz & Matthias Weiss, 2025. "A meta-analysis of entrepreneurial ecosystem elements and entrepreneurial activity," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 1817-1847, April.
    7. Verena Brinks, 2016. "Situated affect and collective meaning: A community perspective on processes of value creation and commercialization in enthusiast-driven fields," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(6), pages 1152-1169, June.
    8. Sang-Min Park & Nicholas S. Vonortas, 2024. "Biomedical entrepreneurship in U.S. regions," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 49(2), pages 782-800, April.
    9. Emmanuelle Vaast & Geoff Walsham, 2009. "Trans-Situated Learning: Supporting a Network of Practice with an Information Infrastructure," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 20(4), pages 547-564, December.
    10. Feldman, Maryann & Fleming, Lee & Heaton, Sohvi & Desai, Sameeksha & Teece, David, 2022. "Uncommon methods and metrics for local entrepreneurial ecosystems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(9).
    11. Simon Turner, 2013. "Absorptive Capacity: The Role of Communities of Practice," Working Papers wp444, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    12. Nebojša Stojčić & Korneliusz Pylak & Dubravka Jurlina Alibegović, 2022. "The spatial impact of entrepreneurial zones: firm, city and inter-city evidence," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(12), pages 2164-2176, December.
    13. Nasser Al‐Baimani & Nick Clifton & Eleri Jones & Rhiannon Pugh, 2021. "Applying the ecosystem model in a new context? The case of business incubation in Oman," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 663-686, June.
    14. F.C. Stam & Andrew van de Ven, 2018. "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A Systems Perspective," Working Papers 18-06, Utrecht School of Economics.
    15. L Carlos Freire-Gibb & Geoff Gregson, 2019. "Innovation systems and entrepreneurial ecosystems: Implications for policy and practice in Latin America," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 34(8), pages 787-806, December.
    16. Yakhlef, Ali, 2010. "The three facets of knowledge: A critique of the practice-based learning theory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 39-46, February.
    17. Müller, Felix Claus & Ibert, Oliver, 2014. "(Re-)Sources of Innovation: Understanding and Comparing Innovation Dynamics through the Lens of Communities of Practice," IRS Working Papers 52, Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS).
    18. Morgan P. Miles & Mark Morrison, 2020. "An effectual leadership perspective for developing rural entrepreneurial ecosystems," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 933-949, April.
    19. Mathias Guérineau & Sihem Ben Mahmoud-Jouini & Florence Charue-Duboc, 2018. "Role of Community of Practices and their Coordination in the Innovation Development and Deployment within a Multinational Corporation [El papel de las comunidades de práctica, su coordinación en el desarrollo y despliegue de las innovaciones en un," Post-Print hal-04574372, HAL.
    20. Cunningham, James & Hughes, Jeffrey & Hay, Allane & Greene, Francis J. & Seaman, Claire, 2024. "Bridging the divides: A case study of collective action across Scottish university business schools to support small business," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).

    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:tvecsg:v:109:y:2018:i:2:p:173-188. 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://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0040-747X .

    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.