| dc.description.abstract | The inquiry about what underpins firms heterogeneity regarding performance is the foundation of Strategic Management (SM) research. Based on it, multiple perspectives have developed in this academic discipline, enriching the understanding of the elements underlyingcompanies success and failure. Nevertheless, this rich pluralism has not been established in the methodological realm. After all, the use of linear statistical methodologies in order to analyse contingent relations among organizational performance and its supposed determinantshas been the dominant pattern in all research streams. However, its emphasis on isolating independent effects considerably limits its potential to deal with causal complexity, leading, sometimes, to contradictory findings. Therefore, the adoption of a configurational paradigm, with its focus on the combined effect of a multidimensional constellation of interdependent factors, has been pointed as a promising way of developing SM research. In this context, the study of configurations able to explain academic spin-offs performance is particularlyrelevant. After all, distinctive importance has been given to this specific type of firm, from both a theoretical point of view because of its particularities as research objects and an empirical one due to the impressive evidences related to its impact on regional development.Thus, the motivation of this work was to refine existing knowledge on causal conditions underlying the differences of performance between these firms from a configurational perspective, envisaging both to contribute to SMs theoretical framework and to better informthe practice of supporting creation and development of these organizations. Looking forward to achieving these expected results, Qualitative Comparative Analysis, conceived to operationalize the inquiry on parsimonious configurations able to explain some outcome ofinterest, was adopted as the researchs metodological approach. An existing database related to 81 pre-incubated academic spin-offs located at Minas Gerais/Brazil was used for the analyses. As a main result, variables sets considerably more parsimonious than the onespresented in literature were obtained to explain the initial performance of these embryonic ventures. Complementary findings and their respective implications are presented and discussed as well. | |
