Narrative is recognized as a credible source of knowledge for scholars engaged in theory building in entrepreneurship. A wide range of methods for the analysis of narrative empirical material have been adopted in research to date. Thus, researchers have a multitude of ways to engage with data, such that investigators new to narrative analysis may face challenges in approaching and framing analyses of their narrative material. This article presents exemplars from two researchers who used structural approaches to uncover contemporary understandings of entrepreneurship in different contexts. Their experiences suggest a framework that scholars embarking on journeys into narrative analysis can use to their benefit.

Replication of existing routines in new contexts is an important value-creating strategy for organizations. This paper synthesizes the state of research on replication and organizes the literature around two broad themes: forward knowledge flows (i.e. from a replicator to a replicatee) and reverse knowledge flows. The authors show that the theoretical assumptions of existing research leave important questions around the replication of routines unaddressed. More specifically, they identify research gaps in regard to micro-level processes of replication. Little is understood about the performance of routines in practice and, related to that, the processes through which routines change during replication. Drawing on recent theorizing on organizational routines, in particular the relationship between the ostensive and performative aspects, helps the authors to unpack the micro-level processes of forward and reverse knowledge flows. This paper opens two new trajectories for research on replication: (1) a focus on the actions of individual actors in the enactment of organizational routines provides new possibilities for understanding how replication is an inherently political process;(2) conceptualizing change as endogenous within the performance of routines offers a route to a more nuanced understanding of change and deviation in the process of replication. The paper closes with a summary of major theoretical arguments, questions for further research and implications for practitioners.

This study looks to further understanding about how important the choice of intermediary can be in supporting policymakers in their regional development activities. Drawing on the resource based view as a framework, the paper provides new insights into resource combinations underpinning the successful creation and expansion of a regional network for knowledge exchange. Through an in-depth study of a partnership of three intermediaries involved in designing and implementing a regional ICT network, the study highlights that policymakers need to consider not only organizational resources of intermediaries, but also the resources of key individuals from those organizations.

This article presents findings from 14 in-depth interviews looking into the motivations and challenges of intermediaries and entrepreneurs engaged in the formation of a networking group for the information and communication technologies sector. The findings show that issues around communication and expectations exist and that the mechanisms used to address this problem create an environment that promotes a short term perspective, overlooking the importance of social relations. To overcome these issues, it is important that policymakers and entrepreneurs work in partnership to ensure resources are targeted appropriately and in a way that is conducive to supporting an entrepreneurial environment in the long term.

Replication strategies rely on the exploration of new knowledge. An important source of new knowledge is the transfer of unit level experience to headquarters, a process referred to as reverse knowledge flows. Such knowledge flows are fraught with difficulty as formal mechanisms often break down due to diverging business interests of unit and headquarters managers. This study brings together research on knowledge stickiness and autonomous action to provide a new avenue for understanding reverse knowledge flows. By drawing on an exploratory study of a franchise network, we provide an insight into how autonomous action reduces initiation stickiness but potentially increases implementation stickiness. Our analysis suggests that the role of autonomous action for reverse knowledge flows is moderated by unit managers’ resource expectations that emerge as a result of autonomous action. Exploring the interplay of autonomous action and knowledge stickiness provides new explanatory means for understanding reverse knowledge flows in replicator organizations.