The entrepreneur from a cognitive approach (original) (raw)

The Cognitive Perspective in Entrepreneurship: An Agenda for Future Researchj oms_922 1443..1477

Despite its many achievements, scholarship at the intersection of entrepreneurship and cognition has focused primarily on the consequences of what happens when an entrepreneur benefits from various cognitive characteristics, resources, or other dispositions. As such, cognitive research in entrepreneurship continues to suffer from narrow theoretical articulations and weak conceptual foundations that lessen its contribution to the managerial sciences. To address these issues, we draw from extant work on the nature and practice of cognitive research to develop a systematic approach to study entrepreneurship cognition. To further articulate this agenda, we assess the state of the field by content-analysing entrepreneurship cognition articles published between 1976 and 2008. We find that, although it has investigated many relevant variables, research on entrepreneurship cognition has failed to fully articulate key conceptual features of the cognitive perspective. Building on these observations, we propose concrete strategies and research questions to augment the contribution of entrepreneurship cognition research, and advance this research beyond its current focus on 'cognitive consequences'. In particular, we illustrate the scholarly potential of disentangling the various antecedents of entrepreneurship cognition, of studying the process interactions between cognitive resources and mental representations, and of exploring the operation of entrepreneurship cognition across levels of analysis.

The Cognitive Perspective in Entrepreneurship: An Agenda for Future Research

Journal of Management Studies, 2011

Toward An Integration of the Behavioral and Cognitive Influences on the Entrepreneurship Process

Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2015

Research summary: Entrepreneurs develop innovations, fulfill customer needs, and spur economic growth by recognizing, evaluating, and exploiting opportunities. Despite progress, scholarly understanding of how entrepreneurs achieve these objectives may be incomplete. For instance, little explanation exists for why entrepreneurs may pursue activities seemingly at random, nor is there a clear endpoint to the entrepreneurship process. To address these concerns, we present a framework that integrates sensemaking and structuration perspectives to specify the cognitive and behavioral influences on the entrepreneurship process. Within this framework, entrepreneurs ultimately pursue opportunities through developing and deploying capabilities to create value for customers.

Think Entrepreneurially. Entrepreneurs vs Non-Entrepreneurs Cognitive Profiles

International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 2018

Many recent contributions try to identify the way of thinking of individuals who pursue entrepreneurial careers. This study aims at investigating the cognitive styles (i.e., the stable preferred way to thinking by an individual) of a sample of entrepreneurs (vs. non-entrepreneurs.) According to Sternberg’s theories and based on the previous researches it is assumed that some cognitive styles better describe the entrepreneurial way of thinking. Through a discriminant analysis, this assumption has been assessed on an Italian sample of 276 participants (147 entrepreneurs and 129 non-entrepreneurs.) The data show that the anarchical (i.e., a random approach to problems, by sometimes drawing up connections that the others would not be able to establish), legislative (i.e., the free decision of what to do and how to do it), internal (i.e., the inclination towards autonomy for the performance of tasks) and liberal style (i.e., the tendency to deviate from the way in which things are curren...

Examining the Formation of Entrepreneurial Activities through Cognitive Approach

Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship, 2017

There have been questions how entrepreneurs think, act and why individuals become entrepreneurs. The trait-based explanation of entrepreneurial activities has been main stream. However, the trait-based theory has been criticized because it assumes that entrepreneurial traits are inherited, stable and enduring over time. This research accepts the cognitive theory to see how entrepreneurs learn or accept others' values, how entrepreneurial perceptions of opportunity impact entrepreneurial actions and how individuals acquire the social legitimation of the formation of entrepreneurial activities. In order to capture the attitudes, activities and motivations of people who are involved in entrepreneurial activities, the author uses the GEM Korea 2016 data. The data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor(GEM) has been well known for the data to capture individuals early-stage entrepreneurial activities. This paper used the sample from the APS(Adult Population Survey) of the GEM which was completed by a representative sample of two thousand adults in Korea by the qualified survey vendor, with strict procedures and oversight by the GEM central data team. The hypotheses are tested with logit regression analysis to estimate the probability of the influence of perceptual variables such as individual perception in social learning, the opportunity recognition in the environment, and social legitimation in the entrepreneurial activities. Based on the results, individuals tend to have high entrepreneurial activities if individuals have high self-efficacy. Also, the existence of role models around the entrepreneurs encourages the individuals involve in entrepreneurial activities more however the perception of opportunity in the environment is not strongly associated with entrepreneurial activities. The media exposure of successful entrepreneurs is more important than others' perception of entrepreneurs on the desirable career option or respect from communities. This paper can contribute to the cognitive processes, particular perception about oneself, as well as perception which is impacted by a community or a society.

An Axiological Measure of Entrepreneurial Cognition

International Journal of Entreprneurial Behavior and Research , 2019

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.

Exploring the Link Between Entrepreneurial Capabilities, Cognition, and Behaviors

Cognitione Foundation, 2021

The papers in this volume explore the links between entrepreneurial capabilities, cognition, and behaviors, adopting a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches. Mensah, Asamoah, and Saghedi perform extensive literature review regarding how cognitive skills and personal traits complement each other in affecting the entrepreneur’s decisions to discover or create opportunities in an uncertain environment. They contribute with an integrated approach to entrepreneurial choices, considering both cognitive and personal characteristics, as well as creation and discovery of opportunities. This conceptual basis for a comprehensive conditions in entrepreneurs choices has been specified in the form of propositions for future research. Flechas, Kozesinski, and Camargo focus on capability perspective in entrepreneurial choices, in particular, on the role of absorptive capacity (AC) in new ventures. Using a systematic literature review, they identify links between AC and knowledge, innovation, and performance dimensions. The study proposes theoretical input to the knowledge on the role of absorptive capacity in the context of newly created companies, and thus it broadens the entrepreneurship and innovation research. It is also informative for the practice of innovation processes in new firm, identifying potential firm strategies in this area. The paper by Kovanen explores collaborative approach in social entrepreneurship. A systematic literature review enabled knowledge accumulation and structuring the major theoretical approaches in the field. The author finds ambiguity in the construct of collaboration in social enterprise, and difficulties to measure this phenomenon. Besides the synthesis of the field, the study contributes with critical review of conceptual grounds of collaboration in social entrepreneurship. Nuryakin broadens extant confirmatory studies on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It supports significance and positive relationships between the referred constructs in the context of furniture SMEs in central Java. Structural equation modeling enabled additional identification of the mediating effect from relational capabilities on the core relationship studied. Nuryakin expands the extant evidence on the strategic role of entrepreneurial orientation in business performance and strengthens theoretical generalization in this regard. Doanh studies the entrepreneurial motivations and cognitions of Vietnamese students. The author investigates interrelations between self-efficacy, attitude towards entrepreneurship, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention to run a business. Unlike the majority of extant research, this study finds entrepreneurial intention (EI) affected by subjective norms both directly and indirectly. Self-efficacy proved insignificant as moderator between subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. However, it performed this role between attitude towards entrepreneurship and EI. This study supports the theory of planned behavior by conforming and nuancing it in the context of Vietnamese would-be entrepreneurs. Following the focus on entrepreneurial intention, Liu and Liang offer in-depth and qualitative investigation of EI’s antecedents with a focus on social entrepreneurial intention (SEI). Unlike the earlier referred studies, which adopted either literature reviews or quantitative approaches, this research uses the case study method. Based on a comprehensive theoretical framework of EI, entrepreneurial event theory and theory of planned behavior, the authors describe, illustrate and explain antecedents of SEI. The paper contributes with an analytical generalization and corroboration of the theoretical framework of SEI with two additional drivers of knowledge capital and work experience, as well as with related conceptual and practical implications. Another qualitative and in-depth investigation of entrepreneurial motivations and attitudes is focused on specialty coffee businesses in Bangkok, Thailand, and Penang, Malaysia. Azavedo and Gogatz use explorative interviews and they report findings that challenge classical economics assumptions on income and profit maximization. Instead, they find lifestyle and professional passion as dominant motivations. The study supports the view on non-monetary motivations of entrepreneurs and offers theoretical redefinition of entrepreneurial passion as professional excellence or craft passion. Moreover, it is informative for policy-makers and educators. This thematic issue also hosts two articles published based on the general call for papers. Although not directly linked with the major topics of the current volume, they are valuable for the understanding of entrepreneurship context. Rodríguez-Castro and Aparicio undertake the issue of measuring performance of higher education institutions. They adopt extensive literature review to identify the production models in higher education vis a vis related policy objectives. Moreover, the authors identify types of performance measures, however, they find the means of accomplishing objectives by universities largely underexplored. The paper contributes with the conceptual framework of evaluation functions and capabilities that might be relevant for educational policy and institutions of higher education. Pilelienė and Tamulienė investigate consumer choices, in particular the attitudes and behaviors towards organic products, as well as their determinants, in the context of the Lithuanian market. The research broadens the knowledge of consumer choices towards organic goods in the specific national context, and it shows discrepancy between the environmental awareness, the knowledge of qualities of organic products, and purchasing decisions. The results are informative both for business and consumer agents, as well as for policy-makers.

The entrepreneur from a cognitive approach (original) (raw)

Related papers