GROUP DECISION AND NEGOTIATION
SPECIAL ISSUE:
COLLABORATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
1. Introduction
Economist Joseph Schumpeter first put forward the argument that innovation is the primary
driver of economic development. The author positioned the entrepreneur as an agent of
change, whose creative behaviour in terms of different innovation aspects was seen as creative
destruction. After Schumpeter’s work, researchers have considered that organizational change
and innovation are specific characteristics of entrepreneurship (Zahra and Bogner, 2000).
However, in recent years, the complex, turbulent, and changing environment in which firms
operate have further intensified the role of entrepreneurs, leaders and managers as agents of
change. Their efforts to accomplish successful changes and adapt to new demands are today
inherent in their jobs. In this new context, successful strategies are not developed easily for a
single firm or person. On the contrary, the capacity to work in a collaborative way has become
the most important practice for ensuring the survival of firms in today’s market.
On the one hand, collaboration among firms is emphasized in order to share knowledge, and
consequently to achieve the creation of a new product, service or business (Miles et al., 2005).
In this sense, global networks, strategic alliances or industrial districts have become
widespread topics in management and entrepreneurial studies. On the other hand, collective
entrepreneurship is the term generally used to refer to entrepreneurial teams and to
collaboration among employees (Stewart, 1989). In this context, corporate entrepreneurship or
intrapreneurship takes a relevant role as a collective way of working within organizations. In
any case, the negotiation process in collaborative and collective work is becoming more
complicated as the number of participants in decision making increases. In this context,
applications of computer and communication technology are increasingly important due to
their role in group decision making. In particular, and as Kersten and Lai (2007) state, with
negotiation being an often difficult process involving complex problems, computer-based
collaboration becomes especially relevant in order to facilitate the communication and
coordination of individual activities.
The main idea of this special issue is to emphasize the fact that organizational change,
innovation and entrepreneurial activity are developed more easily in a collaborative context,
and using computer supported collaborative work. In other words, continuous innovation and
entrepreneurship are more feasible when there is a positive use of cooperative negotiation
strategies (Pietroni et al., 2008) both in terms of inter-firm collaboration and collective
organization within a firm.
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In this respect, the special issue will provide a common platform for researchers, scholars and
practitioners to address the critical subject of collaborative entrepreneurship from a general
perspective, and specifically considering the negotiation process involving collective and
corporate entrepreneurship activities.
References
Kersten, G.E. and Lai, H. (2007): Negotiation support and e-negotiation systems: an overview,
Group Decision and Negotiation, 16, pp. 553-586.
Miles, R.E., Miles, G., and Snow, C.C. (editors) (2005): Collaborative entrepreneurship: how
network firms use continuous innovation to create economic wealth, Stanford
University Press, Stanford, California.
Pietroni, D., Van Kleef, G.A. and De Dreu, C.K.W. (2008): Response modes in negotiation,
Group Decision and Negotiation, 17, pp. 31-49.
Stewart, A. (1989): Team entrepreneurship, Sage, Newbury Park, CA.
Zahra, S.A. and Bogner, W.C. (2000): Technology strategy and software new ventures’
performance: exploring the moderating effect of the competitive environment, Journal
of Business Venturing, 15, pp. 135-173.
2. Topics of Interest
Recommended topic areas to consider for inclusion in this special issue include, but are not
limited to, the following:
 Computer
systems for collaborative entrepreneurship
networks
 Innovation, collaboration and economic development
 Human, social and intellectual capital in the collaboration process
 Knowledge as driver of innovation
 Education and experience in the collaboration process
 Group decision making for collaborative entrepreneurship
 Strategic alliances and other cooperative activities between SMEs and with larger
corporations and government bodies
 Corporate entrepreneurship
 Collective entrepreneurship
 The impact of government regulations and policies on collaborative entrepreneurship
 The importance of socio-economic context on collaborative entrepreneurship
 Facilities and barriers to collaboration inter-organizations and intra-organizations
 Intrapreneurship as a source of innovation
 Industrial districts
 Negotiation process
 Global
3. Editors
Professor Domingo Ribeiro Soriano
Domingo Ribeiro Soriano is currently a professor of management at the University of
Valencia, Spain-Europe. He has publications in international journals and also serves as a
reviewer. He has been guest editor for the Service Industries Journal (Taylor & Francis), Small
Business Economics (Kluwer/Springer), Human Resource Management (Wiley). He is Full
editor of the International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, and Service Business,
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both journals published by Springer. Finally, he is book review editor for Management
Decision (Emerald).
Professor David Urbano
David Urbano is currently a professor of entrepreneurship at the Autonomous University of
Barcelona, Spain-Europe. He has publications in international journals and serves as a
reviewer. He is assistant editor of the International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal,
published by Springer. His research is focused on the conditioning factors for
Entrepreneurship in different contexts from the Institutional approach. He has worked at
several Spanish and other European universities as a researcher and lecturer.
4. Contributors
The issue will publish theoretical, methodological and empirical studies (both quantitative and
qualitative approach)of small firms from a broad range of disciplines and perspectives, which
should act as a guide for academics, policy makers and analysts, in government and business,
seeking to understand the sector, trade and business institutions, small business representative
bodies and those in support agencies.
Please send electronic submissions (word format) directly to the guest editors Dr. Domingo
Ribeiro (domingo.ribeiro@uv.es) or Dr. David Urbano (david.urbano@uab.es). Prospective
authors are welcome to submit an abstract to the guest editor for preliminary feedback on the
appropriateness of their planned manuscript. Please clearly identify your submission in the
email subject line “GDN-Special Issue”.
5. Review Process
All submissions should follow the general guidelines of the journal. The manuscripts will be
peer reviewed according to the journal's general policy; all reviews are double-blind. From this
review process 5-6 papers (8,000 words per paper) will be selected for the Special Issue. The
Special Issue will also contain an introduction written by the editors.
6. Timescales
Stage
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Activity
Submission of full paper
Feedback from referees
Submission of revised paper
Second round from referees (if applicable)
Submission of final revised paper
Editing and final drafts completed
Sent to the Editor in Chief
Publication date
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Completion Date
30/6/2008
30/9/2008
30/11/2008
31/12/2008
30/2/2009
30/3/2009
7/4/2009
Issue 5 (tentative)
2009