ABSTRACT
As demonstrated in Chapter 2, corporate entrepreneurship results from the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours of individuals. Such perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours exist within a certain external and organisational context. In this chapter, the context of CE is analysed, and the circumstances are indicated that help individuals bring their entrepreneurial initiatives to light. A classical stance is taken, describing two broad sets of antecedents to corporate entrepreneurship: the external (environmental) and the organisational. This chapter starts with a brief analysis of the external context for corporate entrepreneurship and concentrates on factors like the dynamism and complexity of environment. Then, internal factors are presented with an emphasis on organisational architecture (strategy, structure, processes and job design, HR practices, culture). Selected barriers are also described that block employees’ entrepreneurial behaviour, and these are contrasted with best practices fostering such behaviour.
