Configurations of Corporate Entrepreneurship: A Qualitative Meta-Analysis

The value of corporate entrepreneurship for a firm’s performance has been broadly confirmed and case studies constitute a substantial part of the research designs used. However, little academic work has been conducted to synthesize evidence from existing case studies on how entrepreneurial behavior can be effectively managed and harmonized within existing corporations. In order to reconcile the still fragmented insights into how firms create a breeding ground for and manage corporate entrepreneurship, we conducted a qualitative meta-analysis of case studies. Taking configuration theory as our theoretical approach, we propose four configurations of corporate entrepreneurship driving entrepreneurial behavior: the portfolio, the transfer, the cultural, and the individual archetype. Our configurations extend current theory by providing more diverse explanations and identifying two somewhat overlooked types of corporate entrepreneurship.