Internal orientation in the growth of Born-Globals. Learning from inside

Abstract

Based on a longitudinal case study in a young BG by means of action-research, that allows the participation of all employees in the co-creation of internal knowledge, we identify organisational dysfunctions during the early phase that affect the development of entrepreneurial and market orientation. Using the Socio-Economic Approach to Management (Savall, 1974), we propose that the entrepreneurs need to adopt an Internal Orientation (aiming at developing a cohesive organisation), and that the ‘right time’ for doing so is not after a few years, as the literature suggests, but much earlier.