Perceptions of middle managers on corporate entrepreneurship : a comparative analysis in four different industries

Abstract

Organisations need to foster continuous innovation in order to effectively compete in today’s global marketplace. Corporate Entrepreneurship (CE) can be seen as an effective strategy in ensuring organisation performance and sustained competitiveness. It is common understanding that top management guide and shape strategy however very little understanding exists on the role that middle managers play in its execution. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences/similarities in middle management perceptions of the internal CE environment within four South African industry sectors. A further aim was to identify the effect of biographical variables within the middle management level on the perception of CE. The eight-factor 34-item solution for the Corporate Entrepreneurship Assessment Instrument (van Wyk & Adonisi, 2011) was used to collect data from 172 respondents. This study identified significant differences and similarities in middle manager perceptions on CE within the four industries. It becomes evident that understanding the economic sector constraints on organisational culture plays a crucial role in determining organisational CE environment. It was also discovered that biographic variables such as age, tenure and gender play no signifficant role in determining middle manager perceptions of CE.