Makerspaces and Entrepreneurship: The Effect of Team Dynamics and Prototyping Efficacy on Entrepreneurial Performance
Xaver Neumeyer, Susana Correia Santos · 2019
Effective prototyping is becoming increasingly important in bridging engineering and entrepreneurship. Makerspaces are at the forefront of this development. Drawing from data on an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship program that included peer-reviews and faculty/advisor assessments, we examine how prototyping in combination with team process and composition affect entrepreneurial performance. Our results found that more gender-balanced teams exhibit a higher level of constructive conflict, which leads to higher prototyping efficacy. Prototyping efficacy, in turn, leads to higher entrepreneurial performance. We conclude our study with a discussion of the implications of our findings for entrepreneurship (education).