Process of Social Networks Development in an Entrepreneurial Setting: A Case of Fast Growing Firms in Pakistan

Abstract

Social Networks are broad set of actors or organizations and relations between them. The recent review of the literature shows that the research has been focused mainly on the effects of social networks on the entrepreneurial process but little attention is being paid to the process of development of social networks during an entrepreneurial process. The present studies highlight the aspects of process through analysing life cycle, teleology, dialectic and evolutionary views of process of development of social networks. This thesis presents ‘Becoming a Networked Entrepreneur’, a substantive theory of process of social network development in Entrepreneurship Literature constructed using Constructivist Grounded Theory approach to study the 13 entrepreneurs of Fast Growing Firms in Lahore, Pakistan. There are three main conceptual domains of this theory: sources of networks and actions of the entrepreneur and Developmental Patterns. The process of becoming a networked entrepreneur involves constant interaction of entrepreneur with the environment where sources of networks enable the entrepreneur to get connected to a network actor. Through studying the process of becoming a networked entrepreneur, the researchers can view the process in an integrated approach which involves the development of networks before starting the venture and interaction of entrepreneur with the environment where these networks are being developed. The process of becoming a networked entrepreneur presents a framework to study the networks and their development along the entrepreneurial venture.