Entrepreneurial and management teams: What makes the difference?
Sanna Huovinen
Communication Manager, Association for Finnish Work, Helsinki, Finland
Mika Pasanen
Department of Business and Management, University of Kuopio, Finland
PP: 436 - 453
Abstract
The importance of teams has been largely recognized in recent management and entrepreneurship research.
This article critically reviews the literature of entrepreneurial and management teams by comparing the key concepts, and the development and foci of research from the SME performance viewpoint in particular.
The comparison reveals that entrepreneurial teams differ from management teams, and so the concepts should not be considered interchangeable. Such teams also operate largely in different contexts, however, both having different roles for management and a significant impact on firm performance. Moreover, the review suggests that entrepreneurial and management teams are often groups rather than teams and they are more common than previously believed, though there is much variation in their prevalence by industry sector and firm size.
Keywords
teams; entrepreneurial teams; management teams; performance; small and medium enterprises
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