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Invention Quality and Entrepreneurial Earnings: The Role of Prior Employment Variety

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  • Astebro, Thomas B

  • Yong, Kevyn

Abstract

We use creativity theory to analyze the effects of occupational job variety and industry variety on invention quality and entrepreneurial earnings. We test our ideas with survey data from 770 inventor-entrepreneurs who commercialized their own inventions. Results suggest that occupational and industry variety substitute for each other in positively affecting invention quality whereas a lack of industry variety is associated with greater entrepreneurial earnings. Results are consistent with the idea that high levels of both occupational and industry variety enables the generation and discovery of inventions, but these ideas are usually not technically feasible or financially viable.

Suggested Citation

  • Astebro, Thomas B & Yong, Kevyn, 2015. "Invention Quality and Entrepreneurial Earnings: The Role of Prior Employment Variety," HEC Research Papers Series 1129, HEC Paris.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebg:heccah:1129
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    2. Anne Spanjer & Arjen van Witteloostuijn, 2017. "The entrepreneur’s experiential diversity and entrepreneurial performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 141-161, June.
    3. Krieger, Alexander & Block, Joern & Stuetzer, Michael, 2018. "Skill variety in entrepreneurship: A literature review and research directions," MPRA Paper 88389, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Kristina Nyström, 2021. "Working for an entrepreneur: heaven or hell?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 919-931, February.
    5. Marco Caliendo & Daniel Rodríguez, 2024. "Divergent thinking and post-launch entrepreneurial outcomes: non-linearities and the moderating role of experience," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(4), pages 1523-1553, April.
    6. M. Diane Burton & Jesper B. Sørensen & Stanislav D. Dobrev, 2016. "A Careers Perspective on Entrepreneurship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(2), pages 237-247, March.
    7. Achim Walter & Nicole Coviello & Monika Sienknecht & Thomas Ritter, 2024. "Leveraging the Lab: How Pre-Founding R&D Collaboration Influences the Internationalization Timing of Academic Spin-Offs," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 48(1), pages 71-103, January.
    8. Pankaj C. Patel & Yoav Ganzach, 2019. "Returns to balance in cognitive skills for the self-employed: evidence from 18 countries," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 89-109, January.
    9. Laffineur, Catherine & Dubard Barbosa, Saulo & Fayolle, Alain & Montmartin, Benjamin, 2020. "The unshackled entrepreneur: Occupational determinants of entrepreneurial effort," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(5).
    10. Koch, Michael & Park, Sarah & Zahra, Shaker A., 2021. "Career patterns in self-employment and career success," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(1).
    11. Rosendahl Huber, Laura & Sloof, Randolph & Van Praag, Mirjam & Parker, Simon C., 2020. "Diverse cognitive skills and team performance: A field experiment based on an entrepreneurship education program," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 569-588.
    12. Spanjer, Anne & van Witteloostuijn, Arjen, 2017. "The entrepreneur's experiential diversity and entrepreneurial performance," Other publications TiSEM c613c681-b545-4660-ad6a-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    13. Murmann, Martin & Salmivaara, Virva & Kibler, Ewald, 2023. "How does late-career entrepreneurship relate to innovation?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).

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    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship

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