What is scaling? (Bohan et al., 2024)

Welcome to Revise and Resubmit, where we break down the latest in academic research, one fascinating study at a time. Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s on every entrepreneur’s mind—scaling. What does it mean to scale a business? Is it just another word for growth, or is there something more nuanced to this process? Our featured paper, What is Scaling?, by Sarah Bohan, Esther Tippmann, Jonathan Levie, Josephine Igoe, and Blake Bowers, takes a mathematical approach to define scaling in business as a time-limited process of exponential growth. Published in the Journal of Business Venturing by Elsevier, this study not only clarifies what scaling truly means but also examines the drivers that make scaling unique—like economies of scale, digitalization, and even graph theory. Through a Delphi study with industry experts, the authors show that scaling isn’t just about getting bigger. It requires deep internal transformations and proactive management to avoid chaos and ensure success. As we dive into this conversation, we’re left with one burning question: Is scaling simply about growing fast, or is it about growing smart? Before we begin, we want to thank the authors—Sarah Bohan, Esther Tippmann, Jonathan Levie, Josephine Igoe, and Blake Bowers—and Elsevier for this insightful research that’s redefining the concept of scaling for businesses everywhere. So, what will it take for your business to not only scale but thrive in this exponential age? Reference Bohan, S., Tippmann, E., Levie, J., Igoe, J., & Bowers, B. (2024). What is scaling?. Journal of Business Venturing, 39(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2023.106355