Exploring the governance of entrepreneurial ecosystems for productive high growth

This paper aims to empirically identify the characteristics and governance types of regional entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) associated with productive high-growth entrepreneurship (PHGE). We developed a unique database comprising the public statistics on high-growth enterprises (from about 5.300 to about 3.500 entities surveyed annually) and regional EEs in Poland over 2011-2018. The Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components and a taxonomic analysis were used to identify how different types of EE governance associate with varying levels of high-growth enterprises’ performance. We have identified and described the relationships between PHGE and diverse clusters of EE governance and evolution stages toward developed structures. Two clusters ensure proved similarly effective in generating PHGE, and they represent alternative EE governance solutions as well as the most advanced evolution phases. The proposed conceptualizations of productive high-growth entrepreneurship and EE governance types advance the understanding and measurement of these phenomena. The profiling and configurational approach adopted in this research reflects the heterogeneity of EE governance types and outcomes, and can be further replicated in other research settings. This study is unique in directly addressing the relationship between the efficiency of enterprise growth and the governance of EEs. Three theoretical and policy-relevant contributions are provided to the interrelated fields of entrepreneurial ecosystems and firm growth. First, the paper advances the literature on EEs, by conceptualizing productive high-growth entrepreneurship in relation with EEs as outcome-oriented governance structures. Moreover, it identifies alternative EE governance arrangements associated with PHGE. Second, within the studies on firm growth, this research expands the knowledge on external and territorial conditions for efficient and thus sustainable expansion. Third, the identified alternative EE profiles might serve as canvas for setting up entrepreneurship and regional policies directed at the upgrade of EEs