This research explores a problem important to both management strategists and policy-makers: what makes some companies grow rapidly? This topic is important as high-growth companies create a disproportionally high percentage of new jobs. The literature frequently cites sustainable competitive advantage as an explanation for firm performance and growth. Companies can build competitive advantage through the accumulation and development of resources, strategic orientations and unique capabilities. More recently, researchers have looked outside the firm for explanations, concluding that inter-firm co-operative networks and alliances are also important sources of competitive advantage leading to firm growth. While there is an extensive body of literature on firm growth, few studies have specifically addressed the antecedents of rapid firm growth. Much of the available literature is descriptive, for example Birch’s (1987) study of gazelle firms or the OECD (2008) report on high-growth firms. There are however few theoretic models or empirical tests to explain the success of these firms. In response this research explains the occurrence of high-growth firms in terms of the resource- and knowledge-based view, dynamic capabilities, core competencies, and strategic orientation theories. Structural equation and growth mixture models were tested using data gathered from a survey administered to a cross-industry sample of Canadian businesses. The study found that high-growth forms were more likely to be innovators, as well as to have a combination of strong entrepreneurial and market orientations and the ability to manage their business networks. These findings highlight the importance to management of not only responding to market demands but leading the market with innovation and extending firm capabilities and reach through networking. In addition, this research indicates that institutional support for innovation, networking and market development would assist in developing high-growth firms in Canada.

This research explores a problem important to both management strategists and policy-makers: what makes some companies grow rapidly? This topic is important as high-growth companies create a disproportionally high percentage of new jobs. The literature frequently cites sustainable competitive advantage as an explanation for firm performance and growth. Companies can build competitive advantage through the accumulation and development of resources, strategic orientations and unique capabilities. More recently, researchers have looked outside the firm for explanations, concluding that inter-firm co-operative networks and alliances are also important sources of competitive advantage leading to firm growth. While there is an extensive body of literature on firm growth, few studies have specifically addressed the antecedents of rapid firm growth. Much of the available literature is descriptive, for example Birch’s (1987) study of gazelle firms or the OECD (2008) report on high-growth firms. There are however few theoretic models or empirical tests to explain the success of these firms. In response this research explains the occurrence of high-growth firms in terms of the resource- and knowledge-based view, dynamic capabilities, core competencies, and strategic orientation theories. Structural equation and growth mixture models were tested using data gathered from a survey administered to a cross-industry sample of Canadian businesses. The study found that high-growth forms were more likely to be innovators, as well as to have a combination of strong entrepreneurial and market orientations and the ability to manage their business networks. These findings highlight the importance to management of not only responding to market demands but leading the market with innovation and extending firm capabilities and reach through networking. In addition, this research indicates that institutional support for innovation, networking and market development would assist in developing high-growth firms in Canada.

Die kompetenzzellenbasierte Vernetzung ist ein wissenschaftlicher Ansatz für die Kooperation elementarer Leistungseinheiten, der eine neue Perspektive für kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen darstellt, wie diese im globalen Wettbewerb mit Konzernen bestehen können. Die Arbeit beschreibt die systematische Generierung von Produktinnovationen ohne Kundenauftrag aus Initiativen innerhalb des Netzes. Als Grundlage für den Aufbau von Wettbewerbsvorteilen durch die Kooperation wird ein Verfahren zur Clusterbildung eingeführt, das beschreibt, wie sich Kompetenzzellen anhand der Charakteristik ihrer Kompetenzen effektiv zu einem Cluster verbinden lassen. Der beschriebene Innovationsprozess umfasst dann sowohl die methodische Suche nach neuen, marktgerechten Produktkonzepten, die im Produktentwicklungsprozess konstruiert werden, als auch die Technologieentwicklung, bei der neues Wissen für die Definition zukünftiger Produkte generiert wird. Für Letztere wird ein Ansatz zur Auswahl der Beteiligten beschrieben, die anhand einer annähernd objektiven Bewertung der Innovationsfähigkeit erfolgt. Der Nachweis der Funktionsfähigkeit des Verfahrens wird am Beispiel eines Forschungsinstitutes erbracht. / The competence-cell-based networking is a scientific approach to the cooperation of elementary performance units representing a new perspective for small and medium-sized enterprises of how they can stand in the global competition with large concerns. This thesis describes the systematic generation of product innovations without customer orders through initiatives within the network. As a basis for gaining competitive advantages through this cooperation, a clustering method is introduced. It explains how competence cells can be joined effectively to a cluster by means of their characteristics. The described innovation process comprises the methodical search for new, market-oriented product concepts which will be designed in the product development process. Furthermore, it comprehends also the technology development, with which new knowledge for the definition of future products is generated. For the latter, an approach for selecting the required participants is described, which is accomplished by a nearly objective evaluation of the innovative capability. The functionality of the method was verified by an example of a research institute. / Las redes basadas en células de competencia son un planteamiento científico enfocado a la cooperación de unidades funcionales elementales que representan una nueva perspectiva para las pequeñas y medianas empresas para poder subsistir en la competencia global contra grandes consorcios. La tesis describe la generación sistemática de innovaciones de producto, sin órdenes de cliente, a partir de iniciativas dentro de la misma red. Como base para la creación de ventajas competitivas a través de la cooperación se introduce un nuevo procedimiento para formar agrupaciones, el cual describe como se pueden agrupar de forma efectiva células de competencia por medio de sus características. El proceso de innovación descrito comprende tanto la búsqueda metódica de nuevos conceptos de productos orientados al mercado, que se diseñaran en el proceso del desarrollo de productos; así como también el desarrollo de tecnología, con el que se genera nuevo conocimiento para la definición de futuros productos. Para este último, se describe un método para la selección de los participantes necesarios que se efectúa por medio de la valoración aproximadamente objetiva de su capacidad para innovar. La funcionalidad del modelo propuesto se comprobó por medio de un ejemplo de un instituto de investigación.