Transformative entrepreneurial ecosystems and ‘economic othering’: empirical insights from worker-led companies in Hamburg and Berlin

With few recent exceptions, the concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) is typically applied to conventional enterprises. However, the mutual support and collaboration inherent in EEs encourage exploration of diverse economic organizations where solidarity and community are core values. This paper examines cooperative networks of worker-led companies (WLCs) in Hamburg and Berlin, discussing how these more-than-capitalist networks can be conceptualized as Transformative Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (TEEs). TEEs are seen as collaborative corporate networks involving various economic and institutional actors that enact practices beyond profit accumulation and economic growth. The WLCs in Hamburg and Berlin illustrate how TEEs can shape local economic structures and institutional frameworks through collaborative actions. In-depth interviews reveal differing focal points and cooperation strategies, disclosing strong cross-linkages and collaboration based on shared values and industrial intersections. Moreover, empirical insights reveal where TEEs meet the barriers of a mostly capitalist-oriented market system in Germany. Thus, certain practices and structures of economic organizing are privileged over others. Under this consideration, we propose an analytical lens of ‘economic othering’ to capture this prevalence and its impact on diverse economic organizing. The study contributes to a more diverse and nuanced understanding of EEs, expanding the theoretical framework of the concept.