Cognitive Maps in Entrepreneurship: Researching Sense Making and Action

In this chapter, we show that cognitive maps are a viable way of both examining the cognitive structures of entrepreneurs and understanding the differences between entrepreneurs and managers in their cognitive structures. We demonstrate that these maps differ in their use and differ based on prior experience and perceptions. We tie this research stream in organizational behavior and strategic management to a potential research approach in the study of the cognitions of entrepreneurs. We also demonstrated how maps are tied to goals and to actions and thus to entrepreneurial motivations and perceptions. We also conclude that this stream of research into the cognitive maps of entrepreneurs has yet to be fully explored. Certainly maps can yield significant new insights into how entrepreneurs view their world and translate that either into successful or into unsuccessful new ventures. Finally, we demonstrate that entrepreneurial researchers likewise have such cognitive maps that influence, sometimes without awareness, their own views of the world.