Manufacturing regeneration through corporate entrepreneurship : Middle managers and organizational innovation

Purpose – To investigate the role played by corporate entrepreneurs in the strategic renewal of mature manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is adopted as a means of identifying links between corporate entrepreneurship and social capital. Data are drawn from a three‐year study which incorporates formal and informal interviews with 15 members of a pseudonymous company management team. Findings – The study extends understanding of limits between corporate entrepreneurship and social capital in three ways: corporate entrepreneurs (CEs) can exploit “structural holes” for the benefit of the organisation rather than for career advancement; newcomers are more effective than insiders in overcoming the relational inertia caused by lack of external links; the bridging actions of CEs are important for linking internal activities as well as for accessing external knowledge. Originality/value – The case is used, in combination with earlier contributions to the literature, as a basis for reconceptualizing the process of corporate entrepreneurship.