Leadership and Entrepreneurship in Tech Start-UPS

Free International University , 2021

The aim οf this study is tο get an insight intο hοw entrepreneurial leaders οbtain the help οf οthers during the early stage (pre-seeding) when financial cοmpensatiοn and fοrmal authοrity are limited. Practically, this research aims tο build a rοadmap/tοοlbοx fοr aspiring entrepreneurs tο enlist and retain the help οf οthers, withοut the use οf financial cοmpensatiοn οr fοrmal authοrity. Cοnsidering that many ideas never make it beyοnd this early stage because οf inadequate suppοrt, this set οf tοοls/techniques might be particularly useful fοr entrepreneurial leaders tο bring their startups intο the seeding stage οr even beyοnd it

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 2002

There are many known reasons why hot start‐ups fail – new technologies, new markets, new distribution channels, inexperienced management teams, etc. – but an unquestionably critical factor is the leadership ability of the entrepreneurial CEO. Conventional wisdom states that professional managers should replace founders because they customarily do not have the necessary leadership skills and experience to further the continued growth of the organization. Recent research, however, has found no evidence that professional managers perform better in high‐growth firms than the original founder. This investigation analyzed the experiences of 27 entrepreneurial CEOs who successfully defied conventional wisdom by leading their organizations from tenuous start‐up to professionally managed enterprise. The research revealed two distinct sets of leadership competencies – labeled self competencies and functional competencies – required of entrepreneurs aspiring to remain at the helm of growth‐dri...

Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 2020

Researchers seem to focus overwhelmingly on entrepreneurial leadership as seen in recent studies in the leadership literature. This situation becomes more complex as research draw on parallels between leadership and entrepreneurship. This has led to an ongoing debate on the veracity of entrepreneurship as a distinct field of study. The elusive nature of both concepts has further complicated the efforts made by researchers at integrating these fields in order to achieve a consensual understanding on the status of entrepreneurship within the field of leadership. The purpose of this paper is to explore these independent fields of study so as to provide a clear understanding of its close association, peculiarities and the theoretical considerations. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on a critical review of the extant literature on leadership, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial leadership. The literature review focused on the existing theories and perspectives and attempts were made to draw parallels within the domains of leadership, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial leadership. Findings: Entrepreneurial leadership though a distinct field of study within the domain of leadership is deeply embedded in the positive integration of the fields of leadership and entrepreneurship. Parallels were drawn from the theoretical considerations shaping these three fields of study respectively. This close association was further reinforced by similarities and in some instances the replication of some attributes and skills within all the three fields. Originality/value: This study brings additional insights to the parallels that exist within the field of leadership and entrepreneurship particularly in proposing an integrative model for entrepreneurial leadership based on the positive integration of entrepreneurship and leadership.

2015

The main focus of this article is to discuss startups from an entrepreneurial perspective, emphasizing the context and external sources for managing startup enterprises. First, a number of definitions of “startup” businesses will be provided. Startup as an enterprise and startup as a culture will be differentiated. As entrepreneurial and macro perspectives are adopted, some economic criteria and statistics will be provided, with a special focus on comparing Hungary to other countries along innovation, entrepreneurship and financial capital. This will give a clearer picture of Hungary’s potential for startup-exits

Lots of reasons lead to rise and fall Startup. A critical success factor can be the leadership styles of entrepreneurs. However, as the business and the workforce grow the founders need to be aware of a growing responsibility towards their employees. They might lose sight of leading their employees in the most beneficial way. This article shows scientific theories about entrepreneurial leadership and tries to build a link to Startups. Several propositions are derived from related theories and will serve as a basis for the research. The theoretical framework will be enlarged by a comparative study between Startups and mature firms. Findings provide evidence for the application of entrepreneurial leadership across industries and firm sizes. Though, several findings indicate a similarity between the two types of businesses, a few noticeable differences have been identified during the analysis of the interviews. Both types of firms pursue a democratic, goal oriented and transformational leadership style. Nevertheless, Startups do not draw a clear line between leading entrepreneurially and not leading to ad hoc decisions.

2016

We have conducted a broad statistical research on Romanian small to medium enterprises (SMEs), with the goal of better understanding: (1) the incipient organizational culture of a recently-opened East European market; and (2) the role of leadership in increasing the competitiveness of SMEs. The paper studies the perceived characteristics of a leader and their influence on the organization's results (as seen by employees), and it tries to reveal the subliminal inter-correlations among these characteristics. The method is factor analysis (implemented in SPSS), for a questionnaire with 23 items, answered by 930 subjects on a five-point Likert scale. The six factors identified by our analysis were: adaptability; cooperation; authority; charisma; confidence; motivation. By highlighting these basic components, our study aims both at increasing competitiveness in Romanian enterprises and at designing better training programs for managers and entrepreneurs acting on East European markets, adapted to the real characteristics of these young economic environments.

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 2021

Most start-ups die and most survivors fail to grow dynamically. The aim of the paper is to summarize the factors found in the international literature, supported by empirical research, that influence the survival and growth of start-ups, and evaluates the results of expert interviews conducted with renowned players in the Hungarian start-up ecosystem. During the research process fourteen expert interviews were conducted and analysed with combined logic, integrating deductive and inductive approaches. Based on the results, there is little overlap among factors identified in the international literature and those highlighted by Hungarian experts as influencing the survival and growth of start-ups. However, international and Hungarian results unanimously emphasize that entrepreneurial education, internationalization, acquisitions and heterogeneity of the start-up team's knowledge and skills play a significant role in the success of startup businesses. Despite the limitations of the research, results may prove to be beneficial to both start-up ecosystem players and policymakers.

Southern Business …, 2005

2016

Entrepreneurship is considered an essential element for the development and prosperity of contemporary economies. The already known traits: creating jobs, boosting growth, revenues to the state budget, are supplemented by vitality and adaptability, and not least, a capacity for innovation. Thus, innovation became one of the most important factors in the companies’ activity. However, innovation doesn’t only mean new products and services. It is closely related to the capacity of entrepreneurs and managers to apply new business models, embedding an organizational culture capable to identify how new ideas could be converted into value for business and society. Innovation supports the efforts of ambitious entrepreneurs to pursue their objectives and stimulate other potential entrepreneurs to enter into businesses. Innovation generates, directly and indirectly, positive effects not only within a company but also within the national economy, as a whole. Despite this empirical evidence, th...

The 14th Economic International Conference: Strategies and Development Policies of Territories: International, Country, Region, City, Location Challenges, May 10-11, 2018, Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Romania, 2018

Back in 1992, Adam and Schwartz have stated that in all Eastern Europe, privatization was fundamental for the transition from plan to market. The transition was supported by the entrepreneurial initiative, that took advantage from a new open economy [1]. The characteristics of the entrepreneur can influence in a major way the business success and development, the well-being of a nation being closely related to the intensity of the entrepreneurial activity. With no doubt, entrepreneurship is vital for the national economy, being an important growth factor and contributing significantly to the long-term prosperity. For the countries in transition, as Romania, the massive loss of jobs after 1990, determined by “the shrinking of the state sector”, was compensated partially by the small business sector that was the “main factor driving economic growth” and absorbed also the ”unemployment”. The purpose of this paper is to analyse whether there are significant differences in the profile of...