Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A Conceptual Framework for the Professional Service Field

Although there is agreement on the role of the client in the innovation process in professional service firms (PSF), other actors have not been systematically integrated into theory building on the professional service innovation. Drawing on the entrepreneurial ecosystem literature, we develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem framework for the PSF field. The conceptual framework describes and explains the key aspects of the PSF entrepreneurial ecosystem, as well as its dynamics. This article contributes by shifting the debate about professional service innovation with a focus on the professional service firm and its clients to consider the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem of PSFs. We conclude by discussing future research opportunities on entrepreneurial ecosystems in the PSF field.