Title: Entrepreneurial team characteristics and success of new technology-based firms in Germany

Authors: Kirsti Dautzenberg, Guido Reger

Addresses: Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (BIEM CEIP), University of Potsdam, Am Park Babelsberg, Haus 5, Potsdam 14482, Germany. ' Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (BIEM-CEIP), University of Potsdam, August-Bebel-Str.89, Haus 1, Potsdam 14482, Germany

Abstract: In this paper, we examine commonalities and differences between different types of team formation regarding team size and gender in new technology-based firms in Germany. We concentrate on a sample of 1,834 firms in very-high-technology and high-technology sector and technology-based services. Apart from descriptive statistics, we subdivided the groups into temporal cohorts in order to analyse differences regarding the potential team formation impact on firm success and firm characteristics. Our findings disclose that team heterogeneity in terms of gender, size and educational level has little impact on firm success.

Keywords: entrepreneurial teams; team working; firm characteristics; firm success; Germany; new technology businesses; team heterogeneity; globalisation; very high tech manufacturing; high tech manufacturing industry; technology-based services; new technology-based firms; NTBF.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2010.029525

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2010 Vol.4 No.1, pp.71 - 94

Published online: 30 Nov 2009 *

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