Let’s Take the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Metaphor Seriously!
Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Vol. 11, June, Article e00124, 2019
23 Pages Posted: 18 Jul 2019
Date Written: July 18, 2019
Abstract
The notion of entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) has garnered considerable attention in the academic discourse. However, quite often this notion is treated as just a biological metaphor that should not be taken too seriously. I challenge this view and ask in a thought experiment what could be learned from the management of natural ecosystems to assist the development of EEs. The outcome is a novel, service-based definition of EEs and five suggested principles for the management of EEs that might advance theorizing on them and future empirical analysis.
Keywords: entrepreneurial ecosystem, entrepreneurial ecosystem services, entrepreneurial ecosystems management
JEL Classification: L26
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation