Forging a collective entrepreneurial identity within existing organizations through corporate venturing

Purpose This study unpacks how organizational members construct a collective entrepreneurial identity within an organization and attempt to instill features in the organization's existing identity. Design/methodology/approach The draws on cases of two venturing units, perceived as groups their respective parent companies. Semi-structured interviews secondary data were collected analyzed inductively abductively. Findings revealed that co-constructed “corporate entrepreneur” role form shared belief communities practice around what it meant act group local corporate context differentiated them from others. Members also clustered emergent through sensegiving efforts identity, despite tensions this caused. Originality/value Previous studies entrepreneurship have theorized top-down dynamics instilling but neglected bottom-up dynamics. reveals involve members' agentic co-constructing clustering contributes middle-management literature, uncovering champions' work constructing with implications for followers' engagement showing group's distinctiveness may hinder process