Abstract:

The aim of the article is to indicate which elements of the entrepreneurial ecosystem affect the processes of digitization of business and economy. The research problem refers to the identification of the pillars of the entrepreneurial ecosystem supporting digitization processes in the opinion of Polish entrepreneurs from the SME sector. To achieve this goal, empirical data collected in a nationwide survey of enterprises (n = 302) were used. An analysis of the concepts of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and its dimensions was carried out, it was related to the innovation ecosystem in the context of the digitization of processes taking place in the ecosystem. The need for a dual view of digitization processes was indicated, i.e. from the inside (what companies do to introduce digitization) and from the outside (how the entrepreneurial ecosystem affects digitization processes). The results of the conducted research clearly indicate the main role of state policy in strengthening digitization processes, other elements of the ecosystem were assessed as important, but they depend on the size and sectors of the economy in which enterprises operate. Government policy on digitization processes and adaptation measures of enterprises regardless of their size. Further research on the entrepreneurial ecosystem and its structure should take into account the role of enterprises in the functioning of the ecosystem as a whole.