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  • 2017
  • Article
  • Academy of Management Annals

Scaling: Organizing and Growth in Entrepreneurial Ventures

By: Alicia DeSantola and Ranjay Gulati
  • Format:Print
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Abstract

Entrepreneurial ventures face unique challenges related to growth, particularly in the management of internal organizations. Progress on understanding these dynamics has been constrained by fragmentation within relevant management research. In this paper, we clarify and describe two narratives that have emerged within past and current research on growth and the internal organization. The first narrative draws attention to the surprising endurance of organizational features during growth; the second, their dramatic change. We juxtapose the two narratives to reveal ongoing gaps in the study of how growth can effect change along three dimensions: organizational design, team composition, and organizational culture. We conclude with recommendations on how future research can be enriched through a systematic examination of how entrepreneurial ventures navigate the organizational dilemmas growth presents.

Keywords

Growth and Development; Organizational Change and Adaptation

Citation

DeSantola, Alicia, and Ranjay Gulati. "Scaling: Organizing and Growth in Entrepreneurial Ventures." Academy of Management Annals 11, no. 2 (2017): 640–668.
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About The Author

Ranjay Gulati

Organizational Behavior
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