Fostering Local Entrepreneurship in a Multinational Enterprise

Corporate entrepreneurship involves new business creation within established companies, the strategic renewal of existing business, and, ultimately, the search for sustainable competitive advantage in an increasingly globalised economy. Yet it remains elusive for many firms.

In a collaboration between a practitioner and academic, Joe J. Amberg and Sara L. McGaughey explore corporate entrepreneuring within a large conglomerate multinational enterprise: Siemens AG. In early 2009, following a prolonged period of business stagnation and a huge bribery scandal, Siemens’ top management identified a severe lack of entrepreneurship as a critical issue. The strengthening of ‘local entrepreneurship’ became a new priority in the strategic planning for 2010 to 2014. By examining three contrasting ventures in the Siemens business unit Fire Safety between 2008 and 2012, the authors identify key drivers and impediments that sustain inertia in corporate entrepreneuring within this global organisation.

This study offers an insightful contribution to our growing – yet still fledgling – understanding of corporate entrepreneurship in global corporations, highlighting the importance of context, interdependencies between critical factors, and the false promise of universal best practice.

Joe J. Amberg holds a DBA from Strathclyde University, UK, a MBA from University of St.Gallen and a Bachelor of Science from University of Rapperswil (CH). He is currently engaged in global portfolio project management and is project lead of critical innovation projects for V-ZUG AG, a Swiss household appliances corporation. From 1999 to 2012 Joe was employed in the Siemens Business Technologies Division, Fire Safety Unit, or its predecessors. His various roles included Head of R&D Fire Systems, Project Portfolio Manager Fire Systems, Global R&D Coordinator and Innovation Manager, Integration Manager for a Korean acquisition, and Business Development and Strategy for the global fire safety business.

Sara L. McGaughey is Professor of International Business at Griffith University, Australia. She holds a PhD (Management) from University of Queensland, and an MBA (International Business) and a Bachelor of Arts (Japanese) from Monash University, Australia. Sara’s research interests include international new venturing, corporate entrepreneuring in global firms, headquarter-subsidiary relations, institutional entrepreneurship and global standards, foreign direct investment and knowledge spillovers, and qualitative research methods. She has published in Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management Studies and Journal of World Business, among others, and has authored a research monograph on portfolio entrepreneurship and internationalisation.