Disentangling the corporate entrepreneurship construct: conceptualizing through co-words

Abstract

This study defines the conceptual structure of corporate entrepreneurship (CE) by looking at the terms scholars have used over the last 26 years of research. With the use of a co-word analysis, five distinctive dimensions of CE and the evolution of related key terms are identified: sustained regeneration, competitive advantage, external entrepreneurship, organizational rejuvenation, and domain redefinition. Over time scholars’ attention has shifted from strategy to entrepreneurship by highlighting the relevance of the terms ‘intrapreneurship’ and ‘entrepreneurial orientation’. Surprisingly, concepts related to strategic entrepreneurship and strategic renewal are less relevant than expected. Besides laying the ground for a shared conceptualization of CE, this study highlights how bibliomeitrics can contribute to decreasing conceptual ambiguity in emergent research fields, such as entrepreneurship. Implications for managers on how to strategically create and develop CE within different organizational settings are also discussed.