Drivers of Corporate Learning through an Involvement in Business Accelerators: Insights from an Explorative Study in the Aerospace Sector (BestMasters)

Jan B. Elsner deduces critical factors that impact corporate involvement in business accelerators as a strategy to adapt internal innovation processes. Based on insights from the aerospace industry he develops a new model for corporate learning that enables accelerator programs to better promote the development of innovations at corporate level. Driven by the need to rejuvenate corporate culture, there is an increasing interest of established corporations in collaboration models with startups. This book extends previous research on business accelerators and corporate entrepreneurship and offers valuable results for the strategic assessment of accelerators to keep up with future business challenges. Contents " The Emergence and Characteristics of Business Accelerators " Corporate Strategies in the Startup Context " Determinants of Organizational Learning " Characteristics of the Aerospace Industry " Insights from the Startupbootcamp and Bizlab Accelerators " Key-Factors for a Successful Corporate Involvement Target Groups " Lecturers and students in the fields of business, innovation, entrepreneurship, management " Corporate business developers, corporate venture capitalists, business consultants, innovation managers, startup scouts, public authorities The Author Jan Benedikt Elsner is a research associate and Ph. D candidate at the Chair in Small Business & Entrepreneurship at University Bremen. His research is focused on new business support models, innovation culture and entrepreneurial learning Acknowledgements 6 Table of Contents 7 List of Figures 9 List of Tables 9 List of Abbreviations 9 1 Introduction 10 2 Conceptual Background 13 2.1 Business Accelerators 13 2.1.1 Emergence of Business Accelerators 13 2.1.2 Characteristics and Definition of Accelerator Programs 14 2.1.3 Impact of Business Accelerators 16 2.1.4 Typologies of Accelerator Programs 18 2.2 Corporate Engagement in the Startup Context 21 2.2.1 The Role of Entrepreneurship 21 2.2.2 Incumbent Firms Challenged by Startups 22 2.2.3 Startup Characteristics 24 2.2.4 Modes of Corporate Startup Engagement 25 2.3 Corporate Perspective on Accelerator Programs 27 2.3.1 Corporate Strategies 27 2.3.2 Relationships between Corporates and Accelerators 28 2.4 Organizational Learning 32 2.4.1 Knowledge-based Theory 33 2.4.2 Learning-based Theory 33 2.4.3 Organizational Learning Theory in the Context of Accelerators 37 3 Methodology 38 3.1 Research Design 38 3.2 Data Collection & Selection 40 3.3 Data Analysis 44 4 Research Setting 46 4.1 Introduction to the Aerospace Industry 46 4.2 Airbus Company 48 4.3 Startupbootcamp Accelerator 48 4.4 Airbus BizLab Accelerator 49 5 Findings 51 5.1 Startup Input 52 5.1.1 Startup Traits 52 5.1.2 The Accelerator ́s Attraction of Startups 56 5.1.3 Selection of Participants 59 5.2 Exchange Processes in the Accelerator 60 5.2.1 Quality & Quantity of Exchange between Ventures 61 5.2.2 Perceived Risk of Opportunistic Behavior 63 5.2.3 Scientific Analogies to the Exchange within Accelerators 64 5.3 Transfer to the Corporate Organization 65 5.3.1 Relationship between Corporate and Accelerator 66 5.3.2 Transformation Processes in the Context of Previous Literature 67 5.4 Internal Corporate Processing 68 5.4.1 Internal Attitude towards Innovation 69 5.4.2 Top Management Involvement 70 5.4.3 Resulting Actions 72 5.4.4 Scientific Analogies to the Corporate Processing 74 6 Conclusion & Discussion 76 6.1 Key Results 76 6.2 Implications 77 6.2.1 Theoretical Implications 77 6.2.2 Practical Implications 78 6.3 Limitations 78 6.4 Future Outlook 80 Bibliography 81 Front Matter ....Pages I-IX Introduction (Jan Benedikt Elsner)....Pages 1-3 Conceptual Background (Jan Benedikt Elsner)....Pages 5-29 Methodology (Jan Benedikt Elsner)....Pages 31-38 Research Setting (Jan Benedikt Elsner)....Pages 39-43 Findings (Jan Benedikt Elsner)....Pages 45-69 Conclusion & Discussion (Jan Benedikt Elsner)....Pages 71-75 Back Matter ....Pages 77-95