Meant to be a generator or adaptor : how founder birth order influences innovation?

![CDATA[An individual’s birth order has been suggested as one of fundamental and engrained human early-life family-domain experiences that shape his or her behaviors in adulthood. In spite of the importance of birth order, very little understood at how birth order influences an individual’s innovation preferences. By integrating sibling rivalry theory and social identity theory, we propose that later-born founders generate more product innovation generation, while earlier-born founders produce more product innovation adoption. We further theorize that the former relationship will be negatively moderated by the extent of sibling rivalry and positively moderated by founder social identity, while the later relationship will be positively moderating by both the extent of sibling rivalry and founder social identity. Based on the analysis of 186 high technology entrepreneurial firms, the empirical results support our theorizing and provide valuable practical implications for entrepreneurs to link their childhood experience with their entrepreneurial goals in product innovation. Our theorizing and findings advance understanding in both birth order and entrepreneurial innovation literatures.]]