Entrepreneurs and teams


Entrepreneurs and teams ifm Mannheim

More than four million people are self-employed in Germany. The motives, characteristics, and general conditions vary from person to person just as much as their location and design of the entrepreneurial activity. The focus of the competence field "Entrepreneurs and Teams" is therefore on the one hand the investigation of individual and micro-social factors affecting the entrepreneurial intentions as well as the entrepreneurial success of individuals and founding teams. On the other hand, dynamics within teams and private professional networks and their effects on innovations, economic success, and the sustainability of start-up projects are of particular interest.

 

More than four million people are self-employed in Germany. The motives, characteristics, and general conditions vary from person to person just as much as their location and design of the entrepreneurial activity. The focus of the competence field "Entrepreneurs and Teams" is therefore on the one hand the investigation of individual and micro-social factors affecting the entrepreneurial intentions as well as the entrepreneurial success of individuals and founding teams. On the other hand, dynamics within teams and private professional networks and their effects on innovations, economic success, and the sustainability of start-up projects are of particular interest.

The investigation of backgrounds, characteristics, strategies, and behaviors of entrepreneurs (of entrepreneurially-thinking and acting people), is in the foreground of the competence field"entrepreneurs and teams". On the one hand, the focus is on the person of the founder. On the other hand, the entrepreneur is subjected to a closer analysis in the interaction in the founding team and with its micro-social network. The research focus can be specific groups of entrepreneurs (e.g.female entrepreneurship) or dedicated industries (e.g. technology entrepreneurship). Here the focus is on the individual's resources, such as education, experience or material capital, as well as personality factors. At the ifm Mannheim, research is also carried out to determine the extent to which individual and team-related behavioral aspects and framework conditions affect entrepreneurial success and resilience in times of crisis (resilience). Risk industries and highly dynamic environments are of particular interest here.

Projects on this topic

Contacts for this topic

Prof. Dr. Michael Woywode
Raum:  EO 265
Telefon:  +49 621 1812273
E-Mail:  
Prof. Dr. Suleika Bort
E-Mail:  
Dr. Niclas Rüffer
E-Mail:  
Dr. Robert Strohmeyer
Raum:  EO 264
Telefon:  +49 621 1812895
E-Mail:  
Dr. Andrew Isaak
E-Mail:  
 

Publications

Luca Castellanza und Michael Woywode publizieren Artikel zu "Krisen und Krisenbewältigung am Beispiel von Startups in Süd-West Kamerun" in der Zeitschrift "Entrepreneurship & Regional Development" (04.03.24)
Der Artikel trägt den Titel: "Types, determinants, and outcomes of entrepreneurial behaviours during crises". Through an analysis of entrepreneurship in South-West Cameroon, we identify three behaviours entrepreneurs enact in response to crises: passive, hustling, and future-oriented, which differ with regards to activities, driving motivations, main objectives, approaches towards present and future adversity, and dominant focus concerning the use of resources. We also find that entrepreneurs’ enacted behaviours depend chiefly on the nature of the losses they incur and on the type of social capital they can avail of in the aftermath of a crisis. mehr...
Prof. Dr. Liu Yipeng - Research Associate at ifm Mannheim and Professor at the Centre for China Management and Global Business at Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK - publishes in the Journal of Product Innovation Management (31.12.23)
This article draws on responsible innovation (RI) undertaken by hybrid organizations, institutional rigidity, and national innovation systems (NISs) to assess and contextualize the innovation performance of for-profit firms seeking to resolve grand challenges (GCs). mehr...
Journal Article coauthored by Baris Istipliler is published at Journal of Business Research (11.07.23)
The study titled “Multidimensional cognitive style: Linking founders to firm performance through strategy and resource orchestration” investigates the role entrepreneurs’ cognitive styles play in choice of opportunity approach strategy and resource orchestration behaviors, and how these relate to venture performance mehr...
"Gender role (in-)congruity and resource-provider gender biases: a conceptual model". Journal Artikel von Robert Strohmeyer und Vartuhi Tonoyan in wissenschaftlicher Fachzeitschrift erschienen. (14.09.21)
Building on social-psychological theories of descriptive and prescriptive gender stereotypes and extant entrepreneurship literature, the authors establish that gender biases are likely to occur because of resource providers' perceptions of women entrepreneurs at the helm of male-typed start-up ventures to be less competent and agentic, as well as less warm and other-oriented than equivalent male entrepreneurs leading male-typed start-up ventures. The authors discuss the implications of such gender-biased evaluations for the application of stricter performance standards to female-led-male-typed start-up ventures and the likelihood and conditions of resource provision to their companies. The authors further discuss why and when female founder-CEOs of a female-typed (gender-neutral) start-up venture are likely to be overvalued (equivalued) compared to equivalent male founder-CEOs. The authors also develop propositions on additional contingency factors and mediators of the gendered evaluations of founder-CEOs and their start-up ventures, including resource providers' “second-order” gender beliefs, the high-cost versus low-cost resource commitment, individual differences in gender stereotyping and the perceived entrepreneurial commitment of the founder-CEO. The authors conclude by suggesting some practical implications for how to mitigate gender biases and discrimination by prospective resource providers.



mehr...
ifm research awarded @EURAM (09.12.20)
Marc Kowalzick (ifm, Chair of SME Research and Entrepreneurship) and Moritz Appels (Chair of Sustainable Business) were awarded the 2020 Best Paper Award in Strategic Management during last weekend’s conference of the European Academy of Management (EURAM). The annual EURAM conference is one of the most important European conferences for management research and, this year, took place virtually from December 4th to 6th. mehr...
ifm wins IECER best paper award (20.11.20)
The paper „Business on the Line: Entrepreneurs and Family Firms in Crises” authored by Jan-Philipp Ahrens, Marc Kowalzick (both ifm/Uni Mannheim), Jochim G. Lauterbach (TU Munich) and Jennifer L. Petriglieri (INSEAD) was awarded as best conference paper at this year’s virtual IECER conference. IECER is an annual international conference on entrepreneurship, attended by researchers and business and government representatives from around the world. A central aspect on the article's data set on family firms was received as a courtesy of the chair of Prof. Kaserer (TU Munich). mehr...
Luca Castellanza veröffentlicht Artikel zu Female Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries im Journal of Business Venturing: "Discipline, abjection, and poverty alleviation through entrepreneurship (online first im Mai 2020) (25.06.20)
Collective entrepreneurship has been found to alleviate extreme poverty by helping poor individuals integrate into their societies and overcome their multiple intertwined liabilities. The author complements this line of inquiry by exploring the conditions under which group structures may instead reinforce economic poverty constraints. mehr...
Studie von Magnus Schückes über neue Formen der Unternehmensfinanzierung im Journal “Small Business Economics” erschienen (18.05.20)
Im Rahmen der Special Issue “The entrepreneurial finance markets of the future: a comparison of crowdfunding and initial coin offerings” des Fachjournals Small Business Economics ist die Forschungsarbeit von Magnus Schückes mit dem Titel “Why do startups pursue initial coin offerings (ICOs)? The role of economic drivers and social identity on funding choice” in Zusammenarbeit mit Tobias Gutmann (EBS Business School) erschienen. mehr...
MCEI Accelerator Formats - Kicking Off 2020 (09.03.20)
On February 15 and February 22, MCEI kicked off its spring semester accelerator formats Thinking Beyond Boxes (Bachelor, MAN 453) and Entrepreneurial Spirit (Master, MAN 633). Dr. Bettina Müller, Dr. Jan Zybura, and doctoral candidate Thomas Hipp were welcoming highly motivated students striving to make a difference either by advancing their own startups or by helping one of MCEI’s partner startups to reach the next level in an Inside the Venture (ITV) project. But what do we actually do in our course accelerator formats and what is the ITV concept? mehr...
Der Artikel "The Influence of Multinational Corporations on International Alliance Formation Behavior of Colocated Start-Ups" von Barak S. Aharonson, Suleika Bort und Michael Woywode ist in Organization Science (VHB: A+) online first erschienen (27.02.20)
In dem Artikel zeigen wir, dass die Theorie des stellvertretenden Lernens (vicarious learning) einen geeigneten Rahmen bietet, um zu verstehen, wie kleine und mittlere Start-ups aus der Tätigkeit einer Vielzahl regionaler Akteure lernen können, nicht nur aus der Tätigkeit der benachbarten Peer-Unternehmen (dh anderer Start-ups). . Darüber hinaus schlagen wir vor, dass das Ausmaß der Auswirkungen des stellvertretenden Lernens durch die spezifischen Erfahrungen eines Unternehmens mit einer Vielzahl von Akteuren beeinflusst wird. Wir verwenden Längsschnittdaten der deutscher Biotechnologieindustrie und der pharmazeutischen Industrie, insbesondere multinationaler Pharmaunternehmen (MNCs) zwischen 1996 und 2015 in 19 deutschen Biotechnologieregionen. mehr...
"Ultimate Dream Management" - A new management technique for crowdfunding and the sharing economy unveiled (VHB: A publication - open access) (11.12.19)
Young researchers from the University of Mannheim and the IfM describe a new management technique that centers around dreams of many and is particularly apt and performance enhancing in the information systems-enabled context of our modern digital society. The technique is generalizable, for instance managing shared desires or dreams of a crowd is also of relevance for the current debate on climate change. The researchers will present their results at the worlds leading information systems conference. The publication and full read can be openly accessed via the link below. mehr...
Evaluation of the course "Strategic Management, Sociology and Psychology in the Family Business" is online! (07.10.19)
The seminar "Strategic Management, Sociology and Psychology in the Family Business" achieved very high grades and was described by students as "best and most comprehensive course I have participated in during my business studies" and to have an "outstanding & inspiring atmosphere". Overall, the course was rated 1,2 and was held by Assistant Prof. Dr. Ahrens and Dr. Iuliia Shkrabaliuk (lecturers rated 1,0), while the STATA-tutorial was given by Baris Istipliler and Marc Kowalzick (both PhD students). The complete course evaluation is attached. The application for MAN 770 Spring is open. mehr...
Jan-Philipp Ahrens and Baris Istipliler describe new management technique for the sharing economy [accepted for publication, VHB: A] (04.10.19)
In their recent research, the authors (Jan-Philipp Ahrens, Assistant Prof. Area Management, Baris Istipliler, PhD student Area Management, Andrew Isaak, Assistant Prof. Univ. Düsseldorf, and Dennis Steiniger, Assistant Prof. Univ. Augsburg) observe a novel management technique whose emergence is facilitated by recent developments in information systems-enabled contexts and which is particularly apt for steering and managing shared desires or dreams of a crowd, a topic of relevance also for the current debate on climate change. For the team of young researchers it is the second VHB A publication within 12 months, a time-span during which their research was nominated or honored with 6 peer reviewed awards.
For a better future! Conference track on sustainability and family firms organised by Prof. Hauser (HTW Chur) and Assistant Prof. Ahrens (Uni Mannheim) (16.07.19)
Bringing together researchers from multiple backgrounds and countries to discuss how family firms can adress critical societal challenges of our time and transition towards a sustainable, green and equitable economy, Prof. Hauser (HTW Chur) and Assistant Prof. Ahrens (Uni Mannheim) organize a track at the 17th Interdisciplinary European Conference on Entrepreneurship Research which this year takes place in the Netherlands. mehr...
Assistant Prof. Dr. Ahrens teaches "Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Approaches" at the Summer School of Mannheim University (10.07.19)
Today’s economic landscape is influenced by highly innovative ventures of two major groups: Young entrepreneurial start-ups such as Tesla, and existing firms such as IBM or Google with strong intrapreneurial activities and innovation management. But how can we manage innovation, how can we lever entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial resources and capabilities? What are key entrepreneurial competencies of founders and (future) top level executives in today’s fast moving digital business world? These are the topics covered at this year's summer school at Mannheim University. Light is also shed on techniques for competitive positioning and strategic dimensions of recent developments such as digitalization and their implications for new ventures and business models.

Talks

Master thesis seminar fall/winter 2018: Application is open until 26th of August 2018 (23.07.18)
Students wishing to write their thesis at the ifm are kindly invited to register for the seminar MAN 770 until the 26th of August. The seminar will cover cutting edge research on entrepreneurship, digitalization, professionalization, and strategic management in family firms. mehr...
Two-day seminar in restructuring consulting (powered by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants) - Application opens (06.04.18)
Are you interested in strategic consulting and business restructuring? The Institute for SME Research at the University of Mannheim offers a two-day training to gain insights into this arcane profession. The workshop includes a restructuring simulation of a challenging real-life restructuring scenario. Participants will solve realistic and typical turnaround case issues and – using role play exercises – will put themselves into the position of various parties involved (banks, enterprise, consultants, etc.) to experience what operative turnaround management is about. mehr...
Interview mit PulseShift - 1 Jahr nach dem Seed Award (01.03.18)
Vor einem Jahr gewann PulseShift den ersten MCEI Seed Award. Wir haben Mitgründer und Geschäftsführer David Höffler nun erneut getroffen, um über die Entwicklung von PulseShift seit der Preisverleihung zu sprechen. mehr...
Course MAN 801: PhD Seminar - Topics and Application Period for FSS 2018 Released! (25.01.18)
The application period and syllabus details of the PhD seminar MAN 801 in spring term/FSS 2018 are released. The seminar will be held by Prof. Dr. Woywode, Prof. Dr. Dr. Kieser, and AkadR Dr. Ahrens. Full details below. mehr...
Course MAN 770: Research Seminar - Topics and Application Period for FSS 2018 Released! (17.01.18)
The application period and syllabus details of the research seminar MAN 770 in spring term/FSS 2018 are released. More details below. mehr...
Course MAN 450: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Business Model Design in a Digital World - Application for FSS 2018 (10.01.18)
The application period and syllabus details of the popular bachelor course on entrepreneurship in a digital world in spring term/FSS 2018 are released. Full details below. mehr...
Dr. Niclas Rüffer stellt Artikel “The Impact of Founder Teams’ Diversity on Innovativeness” auf der 7th ZEW/MaCCI Conference on the Economics of Innovation and Patenting vor (19.05.17)
Gemeinsam mit Johannes Bersch (ZEW), Dr. Suleika Bort (ifm) und Simona Wagner (ZEW) erforscht Dr. Rüffer die Auswirkungen von Diversität im Gründerteam auf die Performance junger Unternehmen. Erste Ergebnisse dieses Forschungsprojektes in Bezug auf die Auswirkungen der Innovationskraft junger Unternehmen stellte Dr. Rüffer auf der hochrangig besetzten '7th ZEW/MaCCI Conference on the Economics of Innovation and Patenting' am Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung in Mannheim vor. mehr...
Publikation: Promotion “Topics in Family Business Succession, Technological Foresight & Innovation” (01.08.16)
Am 31.5.2016 schloss Jan Zybura seine Promotion unter dem Titel “Topics in Family Business Succession, Technological Foresight & Innovation” mit der Bestnote "summa cum laude" erfolgreich ab. Die Dissertationsschrift befasst sich in den ersten 3 Kapiteln mit dem Thema Nachfolge in Familienunternehmen und in weiteren 3 Kapiteln mit der Entwicklung neuer technologischer Felder und der Frage, ob und unter welchen Umständen das Silicon Valley replizierbar ist. Im Folgenden finden Sie das Abstract der Dissertationsschrift (in englischer Sprache) und Verweise auf die bereits veröffentlichten Kapitel. mehr...
Publikation: Ecopreneurship, rent-seeking, and free-riding in global context: Job-creation without ecocide - Artikel im Journal Small Enterprise Research veröffentlicht (25.07.16)
Neue Publikation von Prof. Robert Isaak (ifm, Visiting Professor im Bereich Entrepreneurship) im Journal Small Enterprise Research (Juli 2016). mehr...
Publikation: Replicating Silicon Valley: talent and techno-management in a culture of serendipity - Kapitel in Edward Elgar Research Handbook (03.03.16)
Prof. Robert Isaak, Andrew Isaak und Jan Zybura (ifm, Entrepreneurship) haben ein Buchkapitel in "Entrepreneurship and Talent Management from a Global Perspective: Global Returnees" veröffentlicht. mehr...
Publikation: An alignment approach for an industry in the making - new Article published online (05.11.15)
Potstada, M., & Zybura, J. (2016). An alignment approach for an industry in the making: DIGINOVA and the case of digital fabrication. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 102, 182-192. mehr...
Publikation: It is not just about Competition with "free" - Artikel im Journal of Management Information Systems zur Veröffentlichung angenommen (15.10.15)
In dem Forschungsartikel untersuchen das ifm-Mitglied Dennis Steininger und seine Co-Autoren inwiefern neue digitale Kanäle wie Apps für Smartphones Tablets einen Ausweg aus dem Dilemma der Kostenlosmentalität für die News-Industrie darstellen und zu neuen Zahlungsbereitschaften führen können. mehr...
ifm Mannheim research fellows receive Best Paper Award from the 2015 Diana International Research Conference in Babson College, USA, June 8-9 (17.07.15)
The study on “Cross-Country Gender Gaps in Perceived Start-up Ease: Second-Order Effects of Labor Market Segregation” authored by Vartuhi Tonoyan, Robert Strohmeyer and Jennifer E. Jennings received the Best Paper Award at the 2015 Diana International Research Conference on “Women’s Entrepreneurship and Ecosystems” in Babson College, Wellesley, USA. Using a large dataset of over 15,000 employees working within 22 European countries, this multi-level study reveals how sex-based segregation in traditional labor markets exerts ‘second-order’ effects upon entrepreneurship mehr...
Wie werden Service-Geschäftsmodelle von Startups skalierbar? (16.06.15)
Eine Fallstudie zur digitalen Transformation von Web-Dienstleistern

Buchbeitrag von Dennis Steininger und Anna Budrevich erschienen mehr...
Paper or Screen – Differences in Customer Preferences (08.01.15)
B. Berger, C. Matt, D. Steininger, T. Hess (2015)
Paper or Screen – Differences in Customer Preferences and Willingness to Pay between Traditional and Digital Content Services
In: HICSS 2015 Proceedings, 5th to 8th of January 2015, Kauai, USA. [VHB C]
 
Initiativen und Portale des ifm:
Prof. Dr. Michael Woywode
Dr. Niclas Rüffer
Dr. Andrew Isaak
Dr. Robert Strohmeyer
Dr. Niclas Rüffer
Prof. Dr. Michael Woywode
Dr. Andrew Isaak
Dr. Robert Strohmeyer