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Entrepreneurial and management teams: What makes the difference?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Sanna Huovinen  and
Mika Pasanen
Sanna Huovinen
Affiliation:
Association for Finnish Work, Helsinki, Finland
Mika Pasanen
Affiliation:
Department of Business & Management, University of Kuopio, Finland
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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

teamsentrepreneurial teamsmanagement teamsperformancesmall and medium enterprises
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , July 2010 , pp. 436 - 453
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2010

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