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The role of corporate incubators as invigorators of innovation capabilities in parent companies

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  • Jérôme Gonthier

    (HEC Montréal)

  • Gabriel M. Chirita

    (Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR))

Abstract

Companies need to rethink their innovation strategies in an increasingly disruptive business environment. The long-term success of large established companies depends not only on their ability to leverage their current capabilities and improve efficiency but also on taking risks and exploring unknown areas. To meet this challenge, established companies are increasingly relying on corporate incubators to fuel innovation and growth with entrepreneurial mindset. Drawing on Zollo and Winter's (Organization Science_13:339-351, 2002) deliberate learning model in conjunction with Christensen's [Christensen, C.M., Anthony S.D., and Roth E.A, Seeing What’s Next? Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change, 2004] resource-processes-values (RPV) theory, this paper attempts to answer the question “how can the entrepreneurial mindset fostered in corporate incubators drive the innovation capabilities in parent companies?” The study of four corporate incubators set up by companies from different industries reveals several factors that enable the entrepreneurial spirit fostered by corporate incubators to boost the innovation capability in their parent companies. These factors comprise the recruitment of employees with entrepreneurial potential, investments in knowledge articulation and codification, and a leadership that legitimizes the incubator as a means for the company to develop new ideas and provide support to entrepreneurs inside the organization.

Suggested Citation

  • Jérôme Gonthier & Gabriel M. Chirita, 2019. "The role of corporate incubators as invigorators of innovation capabilities in parent companies," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-21, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joiaen:v:8:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1186_s13731-019-0104-0
    DOI: 10.1186/s13731-019-0104-0
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    Cited by:

    1. Tobias Kruft & Alexander Kock, 2019. "Towards A Comprehensive Categorisation Of Corporate Incubators: Evidence From Cluster Analysis," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(08), pages 1-28, December.
    2. Andrew Page & Jonny Holmström, 2023. "Enablers and inhibitors of digital startup evolution: a multi-case study of Swedish business incubators," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-28, December.
    3. Nikolaus Seitz & Erik E. Lehmann & Patrick Haslanger, 2024. "Corporate accelerators: design and startup performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(4), pages 1615-1640, April.

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