The organizational design of high-tech startups and product innovation

Arbeitspapier

We investigate whether appointing a middle management level affects startups' innovation performance. Additional hierarchical levels are often suspected to restrict innovative activities. However, founders' capacities for information processing and resource allocation are usually strongly limited while, at the same time, R&D decisions are among the most consequential choices of startups. We argue that middle management is positively related to introducing product innovations because it improves the success rates from recombining existing knowledge as well as managing R&D personnel. In addition, we suggest that the effectiveness of these mechanisms depends on the riskiness of a startup's business opportunity. Based on a sample of German high-tech startups, we find support for our conjectures.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: IAB-Discussion Paper ; No. 1/2018

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Entrepreneurship ; New Firms; Startups ; Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation ; Personnel Economics: Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions ; Firm Organization and Market Structure ; Organization of Production ; Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
• Thema: Middle management ; innovation performance ; R&D ; startups ; organizational design ; R&D management

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Grimpe, Christoph ; Murmann, Martin ; Sofka, Wolfgang
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB)
• (wo): Nürnberg
• (wann): 2018

Weitere Informationen

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/182141
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:41 MEZ