The management of the scaling process from the perspective of serial scalers

Venture scaling has garnered significant attention from practitioners, policymakers, and academics within the fields of entrepreneurship and management. The focus has been on the inputs and outputs of scaling ventures, with limited exploration into the management of the scaling process itself. This thesis addresses this gap by investigating how serial scalers—professional managers with extensive scaling experience—navigate the complexities of the scaling process. The central research question is: How do serial scalers manage the scaling process? Given the exploratory nature of this inquiry, I conducted an inductive, qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with 30 serial scalers. This novel approach provides fresh insights into the field of scaling, particularly as our understanding of how to manage scaling ventures successfully is still nascent. The study incorporates diverse perspectives from serial scalers in senior roles across various functions in scaling enterprises located in Ireland and Portugal. By examining the experiences of serial scalers, this research reveals new perspectives and practices for managing the "growing-up" and "scaling-up" stages of venture development. Utilizing organizational culture theory, the study elucidates the intricate dynamics of managing scaling ventures. The findings reveal emergent scaling practices, highlighting how scalability is first achieved and then enhanced throughout the scaling process. Specifically, the research demonstrates how practices generated in the "growing-up" stage evolve during the "scaling-up" phase, underscoring the necessity of adaptive management strategies to sustain and enhance scalability. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the critical role of a high-performance organizational culture as the scaffolding for the successful managing of scaling. This research contributes to the entrepreneurship and management literature by identifying key practices and their evolution, offering valuable insights for both theorists and practitioners. Finally, the thesis discusses limitations and implications for future research, paving the way for continued exploration in this area.

Publisher

University of Galway

Rights

CC BY-NC-ND

cbn

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University of Galway Theses (PhD Theses)