Learning from prior innovative project experience: A study of entrepreneurs developing Google apps
Publication Type
Conference Proceeding Article
Publication Date
8-2019
Abstract
This paper investigates whether and how learning in highly-dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystems is affected by time. This study focuses on entrepreneurs who create and launch software applications in digital product markets, such as the Google app store. Such highly dynamic and competitive settings imply substantial challenges for learning from prior projects related to knowledge retention and obsolescence. This study builds on prior research by Fan and Geng (2012), who investigated similar learning patterns in the context of early Facebook apps from 2007 to 2008. The current study supports the surprisingly narrow time window during which entrepreneurs can benefit from prior experiences. Our findings support a positive time-moderated inverse U-shaped effect of prior software project experience on the performance of future projects. Prior project experiences in the intermediate past have much stronger positive effects compared to experiences from very recent prior projects or more distant projects. Consequently, our study provides additional supportive evidence that time plays a crucial role in learning from own experience in high-dynamic and innovative project settings. This study contributes to theories of innovation and organizational learning that have started to account for the impact of time.
Discipline
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Technology and Innovation
Publication
Academy of Management Proceedings 2019
Identifier
10.5465/AMBPP.2019.19166abstract
Publisher
Academy of Management
City or Country
Boston, USA
Citation
SAMIMI, Mehdi; SCHWAB, Andreas; NOSRATI, Masoud; GENG, Xuesong; and GENG, Xuesong.
Learning from prior innovative project experience: A study of entrepreneurs developing Google apps. (2019). Academy of Management Proceedings 2019.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/6490
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2019.19166abstract