Social Capital, Organisational Creativity and Entrepreneurial Opportunities Recognition in Spanish Hotel Sector

ABSTRACT This research analysed the mediating role of organisational creativity in the relationship between the three dimensions of social capital and entrepreneurial opportunities recognition, by drawing on resource‐based view and, in particular, on social capital theory. The study was conducted within the Spanish hotel sector, focusing specifically on Spanish hotel chains. The results confirmed that organisational creativity mediates the positive influence of structural, relational, and cognitive social capital on entrepreneurial opportunities recognition. This paper contributes to the field of corporate entrepreneurship empirically developing and testing more sophisticated relationships between social capital and opportunities recognition which are explained by creativity. This is a significant contribution because most studies about corporate entrepreneurship focus on examining only the direct relationship. We advance in the literature by examining creativity in firms as well. Research on this topic has focused mainly on the individual's perspective, whereas analysis at the organisational level is more recent. In addition, we contribute by analysing all dimensions of social capital. This is an important step given the paucity of research on social capital's relational and cognitive dimensions.