Research Partnership with Developing Countries
A Programme funded by Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

The Influence of Entrepreneurial Leadership and Social Capital on Resource Assembly and Firm Performance in Small- and Medium-Sized Firms in East Africa

Overall, this project seeks to conduct scientific research and provide scientific support towards research capacity development, policy development, and entrepreneurial capacity building for small and medium-sized firms in East Africa, especially on leadership, management, social capital, resource assembly and performance enhancement. The specific objectives of the research are to: (a) investigate how leadership attributes vary among small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, and how these attributes contribute to their behaviours and finally to resource assembly and performance of small and medium-sized firms, (b) examine the positive and negative contribution of social capital to small and medium-sized entrepreneurs' resource assembly efforts and the performance of their firms, and (c) examine the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership, social capital, resource assembly and firm performance among small and medium-sized enterprises. PROJECT CONTEXT, MEANING AND IMPORTANCE Social capital enables entrepreneurs to secure resources, and resources, in turn, enhance firm performance. Although the leadership ability of the entrepreneurs has an important role in enhancing their social capital and resource assembly, this key variable has not been addressed is entrepreneurship research. Moreover, entrepreneurs' resource assembly efforts may be further affected by the socio-economic contexts in which they operate. This research, therefore, contributes to leadership, social capital, and entrepreneurship research by examining how entrepreneurial leadership and social capital contribute to resource assembly and consequent performance of small and medium-sized firms in East Africa. This research also helps to fill a gap on entrepreneurship research on emerging economies, using not only a strategy perspective but also the social psychological and organizational behaviour perspectives. This research has important implications for the improvement of firm performance for entrepreneurs in developing economies. SCIENTIFIC FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY This project utilizes a cross-sectional research design with secondary and primary sources of data. We shall gather primary data from small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Kenya and Uganda through a survey and in-depth interviews. We shall then analyze the data using mainly statistical and causal analysis techniques such as moderated regression and simultaneous equation modeling.

Contacts:

Professor John Antonakis
Département de management
Faculté des hautes études commerciales
Université de Lausanne
Bâtiment Internef
CH-1015 Lausanne
John.Antonakis(at)unil.ch

Mrs. Dorothy McCormick
University of Nairobi
30197
KE-00100 Nairobi
dmccormick(at)uonbi.ac.ke