Entrepreneurial Attitudes as Drivers of Managers’ Boundary‐Spanning Knowledge Ties in the Context of High‐Tech Clusters^*

* All authors contributed equally. We thank the editor and anonymous JSBM referees for their helpful suggestions.

Abstract

This study investigates the role of entrepreneurial attitudes for small and medium‐sized enterprise managers' tendency to create knowledge acquisition ties with managers of other organizations in the context of an institutionalized high‐tech cluster. We examine how innovation orientation, perceived personal control, need for achievement, and self‐esteem influence boundary‐spanning tie creation as a crucial facet of entrepreneurial behavior in the cluster context. Applying exponential random graph models to survey data collected in a German biotech cluster, we find that innovation orientation and perceived personal control positively affect managers' tendency to rely on interpersonal ties to gather knowledge. In contrast, need for achievement and self‐esteem are negatively related to knowledge tie creation.

* All authors contributed equally. We thank the editor and anonymous JSBM referees for their helpful suggestions.

* All authors contributed equally. We thank the editor and anonymous JSBM referees for their helpful suggestions.

Notes

* All authors contributed equally. We thank the editor and anonymous JSBM referees for their helpful suggestions.

1 Since all individuals included in our sample held managerial responsibilities within their organizations, we collectively refer to them as “managers.”

2 In four of the organizations, we surveyed two managers each, and in another four of the organizations, we surveyed three managers, respectively.

3 To check for a potential nonresponse bias, we compared the (normalized) number of respondents' knowledge acquisition ties to other respondents and to nonrespondents. The result of a paired sample t‐test revealed no significant differences, indicating that no respondent acquired proportionally more knowledge from nonrespondents.

4 Calculated as exp (0.563 × 0.71) = 1.49.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Irena Schierjott

Irena Schierjott is consultant at Mercuri Urval Management Consulting GmbH Hamburg, Germany.

Julia Brennecke

Julia Brennecke is Lecturer in Innovation and Knowledge Management at the University of Liverpool Management School, UK, and adjunct researcher at the Centre for Transformative Innovation at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.

Olaf N. Rank

Olaf N. Rank holds the Chair of Organization and Human Resource Management at the University of Freiburg, Germany.