Entrepreneurship in Innovation Communities (eBook)

Jan-Peter Ferdinand is a sociologist with focus on organizations and management science. His research addresses the nexus of emerging technologies and markets as well as novel modes of open and distributed innovation.

Acknowledgements 7
Contents 8
List of Figures 10
List of Tables 11
Chapter 1: Believe Me, Don´t Believe the Hype 12
1.1 Scope of Perspectives 14
1.1.1 Conceptual Perspective 14
1.1.2 Theoretical Perspective 15
1.1.3 Practical Perspective 16
1.2 Setting the Scene: Open Source Hardware, 3D Printing, and Entrepreneurship 17
1.3 Agenda of the Book 20
Chapter 2: Linking Commons, Communities, and Innovation 24
2.1 The Actually Not-So-Tragic Tragedy of the Commons 25
2.2 The Promise of Commons-Based Peer Production 28
2.2.1 The Ideological Foundation of Free Software 30
2.2.2 The Practical Transformation of Open Source Software 31
2.3 Idiosyncrasies of Innovation Communities 34
2.3.1 Communities as Organizational Contexts for Innovation 35
2.3.2 ``Doing Innovation´´ in Community Contexts 39
2.3.3 Exploration and Exploitation in Innovation Communities 43
Chapter 3: Theorizing Innovation Communities 46
3.1 Institutional Foundations 47
3.1.1 Capturing the Conflicts Between Logics 50
3.1.1.1 Material Practices and Rationality 50
3.1.1.2 Symbolic Construction of Legitimacy 52
3.1.2 Institutional Logics and Innovation 54
3.2 Innovation Communities and Fields 58
3.2.1 Theories of Fields 59
3.2.2 Coherence and Conflict 63
3.2.3 Communities as Meso-Level Order 65
3.2.4 CBI in Ambiguous Fields: Insights from OSS 68
3.3 Agency and Entrepreneurship 71
3.3.1 Institutional and Economic Takes on Entrepreneurship 73
3.3.2 CBI and Entrepreneurship 76
Chapter 4: Analytical Framework and Methodology 79
4.1 Applying the Field Perspective 80
4.2 Re-framing the Dilemma of Entrepreneurship 82
4.3 Methodological Foundation and Sources of Empirical Data 85
4.3.1 Descriptive Representation of the 3D Printing Field 86
4.3.2 Tracing Shared Understandings on Legitimacy 87
4.3.3 Elaborating Collective Rationalities and the Actors´ Scope of Agency 90
Chapter 5: Innovation Communities and the Dilemma of Entrepreneurship in the 3D Printing Field 92
5.1 Emergence and Change of the 3D Printing Field 94
5.1.1 Inception 94
5.1.2 Proliferation 99
5.1.3 Diversification 105
5.2 Institutional Friction: Community Gain Versus Community Drain 108
5.2.1 Connotative Conflicts and Divergent Understandings on Entrepreneurship 110
5.2.1.1 Open Source Principles Versus Viable Business Models 111
5.2.1.2 Ideology of the RepRap Approach Versus Vulnerability of the RepRap Approach 112
5.2.2 Denotative Contrasts in Appropriate Entrepreneurial Practices 114
5.2.2.1 Business Model: Peer-to-Peer Distribution to Serve Community Needs Versus Scalable Business to Serve Market Needs 114
5.2.2.2 Relevant Peer Group: Community Versus Customer 117
5.2.2.3 Design Principles: Hackability Versus Usability 118
5.2.2.4 IP: OS Licenses Versus Patents 119
5.2.2.5 Mixed Feelings About Cloning 121
5.3 Facing the Tensions: Insights from Second Generation 3D Printing Startups 123
5.3.1 Community Backgrounds and Entrepreneurial Transitions 124
5.3.2 Starting the Venture, Approaching the Tensions 127
5.3.2.1 Approaching the Design Dilemma 128
5.3.2.2 Approaching the IP and Funding Dilemma 130
5.3.2.3 Approaching the Community/Customer Dilemma 135
5.3.3 Balancing Community and Business Needs 137
Chapter 6: Field-Level Dynamics and the Gradual Disruption of the 3D Printing Community 142
6.1 Field Transitions 143
6.1.1 Macro Meso Nexus 144
6.1.2 Meso Micro Nexus 147
6.2 The Entrepreneurial Dilemma Revisited 151
6.3 Materiality and the Tragedy of Open Hardware 153
Chapter 7: The Perils of Innovation Communities 157
7.1 Summary 158
7.2 Key Insights and Contributions 160
7.2.1 Conceptual Contributions 160
7.2.2 Theoretical Contributions 161
7.2.3 Practical Contributions 164
7.3 The Utopia of Community-Based Innovation 165
References 169