Defense of Juan Carlos Diaz

Self-Orchestration in entrepreneurial ecosystems: promoting inclusion through legitimacy, embeddedness, and cross-industry collaboration in marginalized sectorsmarginalisés

Supervised by Ignasi Capdevila

Defense scheduled for Monday november à 14h à Paris School of Business (Salle C322), 16 Rue Claude Bernard, 75005, Paris. 

Abstract: While entrepreneurial ecosystems (EE) have become a dominant framework in entrepreneurship research, the exclusion of certain sectors remains underexplored. This thesis examines how legitimacy and inclusion are socially constructed and unevenly distributed, focusing on the systemic marginalization of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) within existing entrepreneurial ecosystems. It asks how historically excluded sectors can gain legitimacy and inclusion within established ecosystems.

The research takes place in Saxony, Eastern Germany—a region shaped by post-industrial transformation, rural–urban disparities, and rising political extremism. Using a qualitative, constructivist approach, data were collected over two years through interviews, observations, and secondary sources. This empirical setting highlights how exclusion is institutionally and symbolically reinforced, while revealing how it can be contested from the margins

The thesis consists of three interconnected articles. The first introduces the concept of self-orchestration, showinghow excluded sectors organize internally to build sectoral legitimacy. The second explores how rural entrepreneurs’ social, cultural, and spatial embeddedness shapes their strategic orientations amid local tensions. The third investigates the role of intermediaries in enabling cross-sector collaboration, emphasizing the symbolic and relational work required to connect CCI withtraditional industries.

Integrating ecosystem dynamics, entrepreneurial agency, and collaborative projects, the study develops a multi-level framework of inclusion within entrepreneurial ecosystems. It contributes to theory by positioning exclusion and marginalization as central concerns in EE research, conceptualizing self-orchestration as a strategy of excluded actors, and refining the notion of ecosystem legitimacy as dependent on sector-level recognition. The thesis also reconceptualizes embeddedness—particularly in rural and politically polarized contexts—as a flexible strategic resource, and shows how collaborative experimentation can bridge symbolic and institutional divides. Furthermore, it portrays intermediaries as embedded system-builders who assemble and translate across fragmented institutional fields. 

Beyond its theoretical contributions, the study offers practical insights for ecosystem managers and policymakersseeking to foster more inclusive innovation environments. In an era of growing political polarization in Europe, it argues that exclusion must be understood not only as an economic issue but as a challenge to democratic participation and social cohesion

Keywords: Entrepreneurial ecosystems, ecosystem orchestration, legitimacy, entrepreneurial embeddedness, cross-industry collaboration

Composition of jury :