Dynamic Capabilities in Entrepreneurship
摘要
This entry recalls and analyzes the concept of dynamic capabilities (DCs) to speculate whether and to what extent it can be referred to the field of entrepreneurship. This concept, rooted in management studies, is presented by stressing two opposite views. On the one hand, managers are aware they need to constantly create, extend, or modify the resources (tangible and intangible) of their companies to respond to the increasing competition in the market; on the other hand, they are not fully aware of the process they need to carry out and of its timing, especially when it starts. Accordingly, some researchers question whether and to what extent it is possible to talk about dynamic capabilities in entrepreneurship (DyCE). Academic studies on this topic are in their nascent stage and the results are still inconsistent; hence, it is mandatory to select a theoretical framework. Among several alternatives, institutionalism (as a school of thought) and evolutionary economics (as its main development) are employed to speculate whether and to what extent DCs can be referred to the field of entrepreneurship. Theoretical reasoning supports the idea that it is worth discussing DyCE and evokes additional research to speculate on their nature and potential development.