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The entrepreneurial journey as an emergent hierarchical system of artifact-creating processes

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  • Selden, Paul D.
  • Fletcher, Denise E.

Abstract

Entrepreneurial ‘process’ perspectives explain the events of an entrepreneurial journey in terms of mechanisms, such as ‘effectual logic’, ‘bricolage’, ‘dynamic creation’, ‘opportunity tension’ and ‘enactment’. Process theorists, however, have not as yet developed an analytical framework that explains an entrepreneurial event in relation to the entrepreneurial journey as the unit of analysis. Building on Sarasvathy's (2003, 2008) and Venkataraman et al.'s (2012) conception of entrepreneurship inquiry as a ‘science of the artificial’ (Simon, 1996), we explain how this research gap can be addressed by conceptualizing the entrepreneurial journey as an ‘emergent hierarchical system of entrepreneurial artifact-creating processes’. From this perspective, entrepreneurial events can be explained in relation to the endogenous dynamics of prior patterns of artifact emergence. We discuss some research implications of focusing on artifact emergence as a key unit of analysis in process theory development.

Suggested Citation

  • Selden, Paul D. & Fletcher, Denise E., 2015. "The entrepreneurial journey as an emergent hierarchical system of artifact-creating processes," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 603-615.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:30:y:2015:i:4:p:603-615
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2014.09.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    12. Stephen X. Zhang & Elco Burg, 2020. "Advancing entrepreneurship as a design science: developing additional design principles for effectuation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 607-626, October.
    13. Torres, Pedro & Augusto, Mário, 2020. "Digitalisation, social entrepreneurship and national well-being," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
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    18. Marta Gancarczyk & Anna Ujwary-Gil, 2021. "Entrepreneurial cognition or judgment: The management and economics approaches to the entrepreneur's choices," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 17(1), pages 7-23.
    19. Bylund, Per L. & McCaffrey, Matthew, 2017. "A theory of entrepreneurship and institutional uncertainty," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 461-475.
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    21. Zaheer, Hasnain & Breyer, Yvonne & Dumay, John & Enjeti, Mahesh, 2022. "The entrepreneurial journeys of digital start-up founders," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
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    23. Satu Korhonen & Tanja Leppäaho, 2019. "Well-trodden highways and roads less traveled: Entrepreneurial-oriented behavior and identity construction in international entrepreneurship narratives [Las sendas más trotadas y las rutas menos ex," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 355-388, September.
    24. Bermet Talasbek kyzy & Talant Asan uulu & Urmat Ryskulov, 2023. "Matkasym: An Entrepreneurial Journey from Bazaar to Factory," South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, , vol. 12(2), pages 194-206, August.
    25. David Leong, 2023. "Thermodynamics and Gradient Manipulation Mechanism in Entrepreneurial Actions," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 16(9), pages 1-29, February.

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