The effects of context and characteristics of women entrepreneurs on innovation performance

Abstract

Drawing on institutional and upper echelons theories, this study delves into the underexplored intersection of gender, context, and innovation performance among women entrepreneurs in Ecuador. Based on a sample of 45 women entrepreneurs, the study employs a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and identifies six distinct paths to innovation performance. Contrary to initial expectations, our research findings substantiate that both institutional and social factors play a key role in fostering innovation in women-led firms in Ecuador. This innovation is facilitated by establishing close and frequent interpersonal connections, as well as by the age of the female entrepreneurs. Conversely, certain individual variables traditionally associated with innovation, such as education level or prior experience, manifest only sporadically. Our research enriches the discourse in gender and innovation studies by employing a multilevel approach and provides valuable insights into female entrepreneurial leadership’s contribution to advancing developing economies. JEL CLASSIFICATION: O32; J16

Leadership in special contexts: Introduction to the special issue

“…Among the six articles included in this special issue, four focused on crisis contexts (Arciniega et al, 2024;Arias Rodriguez et al, 2024;Huang & Zhou, 2024;Junça-Silva & Caetano, 2024) and two addressed emerging contexts (Chávez-Rivera et al, 2024;Orozco Collazos & Botero, 2024).…”

“…Moreover, regarding emerging contexts, considering that developing countries are characterized by the lack of institutional support for innovation and the prevalence of non-technological innovation and that, therefore, results of innovation studies conducted in developed countries should not be generalized to developing countries (de-Oliveira & Rodil-Marzábal, 2019), Chávez-Rivera et al (2024) contribute to literature by responding to calls from leadership field (Johns, 2023) and from other organizational literatures (e.g., Brush et al, 2022) to adopt a multilevel approach that allows them to explore the effects of institutional context, social context (macro-level), networking (meso-level), and demographic characteristics of women entrepreneurs (micro-level) in the singular context of a developing country (Ecuador) with significant constraints for women's professional progress. Thus, they contribute to leadership in emerging countries and contexts, as well as to gender, innovation, and entrepreneurship literatures, by showing the relevance of "the interconnection of policies, social support, resources, and networks with family and close contacts that women leverage at a specific age" to explain the innovative performance of women's companies in Ecuador.…”