How and when does the individual entrepreneurial capabilities transition into firm capabilities. With a focus on process management, including a case from start-up company Brandheroes
Translated title
: With a focus on process management, including a case from start-up company Brandheroes
Author
Thoftstrup, Jeppe Schmidt
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2018
Submitted on
2018-04-10
Pages
58
Abstract
Specialet undersøger, hvornår individuelle iværksætterkompetencer forankres som kapabiliteter på virksomhedsniveau, og hvordan processer kan udvikles fra ad hoc-aktiviteter til gentagelige og effektive arbejdsgange. Med udgangspunkt i en litteraturgennemgang af iværksætter- og firmakapabiliteter og den ressourcebaserede tilgang kombineres Lewis & Churchills vækstfasemodel med Business Process Management (BPM) som analytisk og praktisk ramme. Et caseperspektiv fra startuppen Brandheroes, understøttet af interview og praksiserfaring, bruges til at eksemplificere udfordringer i procesmodning. Analysen peger på, at forskningen med rette fokuserer på personlige træk i de tidlige faser, fordi ejer og virksomhed næsten er synonyme, men at en overgang til firmakapabiliteter begynder omkring fase tre, hvor virksomheden ikke længere kan basere sig alene på ejeren(e). BPM kan påbegyndes allerede i første fase, men ikke alle BPM-aktiviteter er mulige eller meningsfulde i hver fase; BPM-cyklussen matcher ikke fuldstændigt vækstfaserne, især fordi der i den tidligste fase mangler tilstrækkelig viden til at gennemføre alle trin. Specialet bidrager med en tidslig afklaring af overgangen og giver praktiske anvisninger på at tilpasse procesledelse til vækstfase, samt peger på behov for videre forskning.
This thesis examines when individual entrepreneurial capabilities become embedded as firm-level capabilities and how to move from ad hoc activities to repeatable, efficient processes. Building on a literature review of entrepreneurial and firm capabilities and the resource-based view, it combines Lewis and Churchill’s small business growth stage model with Business Process Management (BPM) as an analytical and practical lens. A case perspective from the startup Brandheroes, informed by an interview and first-hand experience, illustrates challenges in maturing processes. The analysis indicates that research appropriately emphasizes personal traits in early stages because the owner and the firm largely overlap, but that a transition toward firm capabilities begins around stage three, when the business can no longer rely solely on the owner(s). BPM can be initiated from the first stage, yet not all BPM activities are feasible or useful in every stage; the BPM cycle does not fully align with the growth stages, particularly because the earliest stage lacks sufficient knowledge to execute all steps. The thesis contributes a clearer sense of timing for this transition and offers practical guidance on tailoring process management to each growth stage, while outlining avenues for further research.
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