Entrepreneurship Theories

  Another biological theory is the childhood adversity theory. While researchers have looked at resilience in adults, few have examined the how childhood adversity may affect entrepreneurial entry later in life. Using a variant of the underdog theory, which looks at how negative experience shape an individual's resilience. Recent research has looked at samples of entrepreneurs from a famine in China (1959–1961) and from war-torn Vietnam. Both studies find that individuals who endured childhood adversity are more likely to become entrepreneurs.  Churchill et al. measure adversity as the bombing intensity experienced by the entrepreneurs in early childhood. They find that as the bombing intensity increased, so did the chance that the children grow up to become entrepreneurs. The effect size is about 5% increase in entrepreneurial entry for a 10% increase in bombing intensity. Cheng et al. measure adversity as the experience of starvation during the societal upheavals of C...

Architectural innovation focuses on changes in product architecture and their advantages/disadvantages for incumbents and new entrants (Henderson and Clark, 1990), where many of those new entrants are going to be entrepreneurs and their startups. The bottom line of the theory for entrepreneurs is that "architectural innovation" is a promising avenue for new entrants to go after because it is difficult for incumbent to pursue such innovations. Architectural innovation is usually competence-destroying for incumbents to follow. By contrast, other types of innovations benefit incumbents, such as incremental innovations (improving components), modular innovations (swapping components) and even radical innovations (developing new capabilities in areas without legacy products). Theory basics The theory starts with the idea that a product or service is made up of components that fit together according to a type of design called "product architecture", which is either modula...

Competence destroying innovations are expected to be brought to market more successfully by new entrants than competence enhancing innovations (Tushman & Anderson, 1986). Competence = Abilities + Resources An incumbent firm's competence is destroyed when a technological innovation obsolesces the abilities and or resources that previously composed the competences of the firm. For instance, Blockbuster's retail competence was undermined by Netflix's online model. The theory goes that incumbents are reluctant to adopt competence destroying innovations because they prefer to preserve and enhance their existing competences. Besides, developing new competences often means shedding the old and that can involved painful layoffs or divestitures. These difficult organizational changes and the coalitions that form within organizations to try to stop them, create a friction that impairs adoption. Instead, the new entrant benefits from adopting competence-destroying innovations beca...

Actor-network theory was created by Bruno Latour, Michel Callon, and John Law. It describes a “material-semiotic" method of analysis that is distinct from mainstream network analysis in that it includes non-human objects in networks as nearly equally important as human actors. According to Latour (1999): “You are different with the gun in your hand; the gun is different with you holding it. You are another subject because you hold the gun; the gun is another object because it has entered into a relationship with you.” According to Korsgaard (2011), Latour’s point is that neither the gun nor the person kills alone, but the combination of person and gun can execute the sinful act. The conclusion is that human agency is not merely a human phenomenon, because it relies on non-human elements too be executable. Korsgaard applied actor-network theory (ANT) to entrepreneurship. He argues that ANT is superior to the older ‘ discovery theories ’ that have dominated the entrepreneurship li...

  Serial entrepreneurship refers to the repeated behaviours of entrepreneur.     “There are two types of entrepreneurs: novice entrepreneurs, who launch a business for the first time, and habitual entrepreneurs, which include serial entrepreneurs, who launch businesses sequentially, and portfolio entrepreneurs, who run multiple businesses concurrently.” ( Plehn-Dujowich, 2010)   Plehn-Dujowich suggests that serial entrepreneurs differ substantially from first time entrepreneurs. They argue that the serial entrepreneurs develop new capabilities over time that makes them more effective entrepreneurs. For instance, they may develop heuristics that guide their decision processes that reduce the analysis task needed to assess risks. These types of advantage lead to equal or higher success rates for serial entrepreneurs and a higher likelihood of sticking to entrepreneurship as a career choice. Serial entrepreneurship theory starts with the idea that entrepr...

Could your physiology make you more entrepreneurial? Research examining the physiology of entrepreneurs is rather new and underdeveloped. Very little is known about how our physiology can affect our propensity for entrepreneurship. One study examined how testosterone level experienced in the womb can affect us. Testosterone exposure in utero is linked to competitiveness, aggressiveness, and other traits that have been linked to some extend with entrepreneurs.[1]   The researchers used a technique of measuring finger length ratios that are markers of testosterone exposure. Survey respondents where supplied with rulers and instructions and self-reported the lengths of their index and ring fingers. To calculate the ratio (2D:4D), one divides the length of the index finger by the length of the ring finger on the same hand. A higher ratio (i.e., relatively long index finger) is associated with many different traits including sexuality, aggressiveness, assertiveness, unprovoked violence,...

Born global startups are ventures that start thinking and acting globally in their early stages of development, which utilize international markets and resources to scale their growth. Attention to born global startups comes from a stream of theory and research that examines how startups rapidly internationalize their new ventures (Knight and Cavusgil, 2004). Traditionally, entrepreneurs would focus on domestic markets first and then pursue internationalization gradually as they develop the requisite skills through trial and error. Modern advances in internet technologies, global talent flows, and international supply chains have substantially lowered the cost for entrepreneurs to internationalize (McCormick & Somaya, 2020). They have also made it possible for startups to address global markets from the very beginning of their existence. Entrepreneurs can now bypass many of their home-country constraints such as government inefficiencies and physical location (McCormick & Somay...

Informal entrepreneurship refers to economic activity that occurs outside of the formal economy, which is typically characterized by the absence of legal and regulatory frameworks. This type of entrepreneurship is often associated with small-scale, unregistered, and unregulated businesses that operate in the informal sector. The informal economy is made up of a diverse range of activities, including street vending, artisanal production, and home-based businesses, among others. While these businesses may provide a means of livelihood for individuals and communities, they often face significant barriers to growth and sustainability due to their lack of access to formal financing, legal protections, and other resources. In contrast, the formal economy is the part of the economy that is recognized and regulated by government institutions. Companies and entrepreneurs operating in the formal economy are required to pay taxes, adhere to labour laws and regulations, and obtain necessary licens...

Do slackers have an advantage in entrepreneurship? This theory is passed around more as rumour than formal theoretical framework. The theory starts with a premise about how entrepreneurial ventures come about. Entrepreneurial opportunities are viewed as difficult to discover or create, requiring a lot of time and trial and error. Perhaps slacker have nothing more important to do, allowing them the resilience to keep trying, even after repeated failures.   Perhaps individuals who are not particularly motivated or hardworking can still become successful entrepreneurs. By embracing a more laid-back approach to work, entrepreneurs may find creative and innovative solutions to problems that others might overlook. The idea of the slacker theory of entrepreneurship challenges the conventional wisdom that success in business requires long hours and a relentless work ethic. Instead, it suggests that entrepreneurs who are willing to take risks and think outside the box can find success even...

How can feminist theory enlighten us about entrepreneurship? For the most part, women entrepreneurs are in the minority, and they are less likely to be funded by venture capitalists. This naturally leads to criticism of the old boys club in venture capital investment that tends to invest less in women led ventures. There are some indications that these trends are changing but its far from over. Much of the feminist literature that discusses entrepreneurship tends to look at differences between entrepreneurial entry rates and opportunities for women entrepreneurs as well as the systems and structures that cause the disparities between men and women. Hurley (1999): "Traditional anthropological theories stated that the key factor in human evolution was the male’s hunting activities. The men developed the important social skills of  communication, co-operation and tool making, while women contributed little...Feminist theories showed that women’s activities were the key ...

Do entrepreneurs exhibit dynamic capabilities?  At the core of the theory of dynamic capabilities is the assumption that an organization's current resources and capabilities, which may be optimally suited to the current environmental conditions, will not likely be relevant under future conditions. Recognizing that changes in technologies, policies, and tastes make for a continuously evolving landscape of needs and wants, an organization needs to be able to respond. Organizations need to be able to transform their capabilities over time as needed to seize new opportunities. They also need to be continually sensing new opportunities. According to Teece (2007): "the competitive advantage of firms stems from dynamic capabilities rooted in high performance routines operating inside the firm, embedded in the firm’s processes, and conditioned by its history" Responding to change How do they respond effectively to changes on the order of converging industries and intern...

Information asymmetry refers to a conditions whereby two parties in a market or organizational relationship have access to different information about the exchange.  It can be seen as an alternative to the classical assumption of "perfect information" in economics. Information asymmetries have been acknowledged by regulators who have made laws forbidding insider trading. Insiders have special access to the real financial picture of a company and have an unfair advantage when buying and selling company stock (Aboody, 2000). Company executives, like CEOs also have fiduciary responsibilities toward their investors which require them to be truthful and forthcoming. Information asymmetry is also a potential source of problems in entrepreneurship. For example, an entrepreneur knows much more about the real potential of their ventures because they have inside access to knowledge about their customers and the issues with production. The investors, on the other hand, have less informa...

The diffusion of innovations has been studied by many scholars over the ages, but notably from 1970 onward by American sociologist Everett Rogers. Dr. Rogers was interested in trying to get farmers to adopt innovations (like farm equipment) that could better their lives and make their businesses more productive. He pondered the forces that lead some to adopt and others to abstain. He suggests that different types of adopters: innovators, early adoptions, early majority, late majority and laggards have different adoption criteria. For instance, a strategy that may attract early adopters may not attract the early majority because they want different things. The size distributions of the different types of adopters (i.e., number of members of a particular adopter category), grow and then shrink giving rise to an inverted u-shaped curve, giving rise to the famous s-curve of total adoption. Image source: Wikicommons Rogers noted that it is not always the best technologies that get...

Most entrepreneurs work for organizations before or while they start their businesses. There is macho entrepreneurship dogma that says you have to go all in, experience "the fear" and dedicate yourself for 80 hours a week to your venture. Implicit in this is the notion that an entrepreneur cannot succeed if they hedge their bets by keeping one foot in employment. But isn't this a bad assumption? Why go all in to a startup if startup success stories are probabilistic events, not givens?    Hybrid entrepreneurship refers to entrepreneurship whereby an employee starts a business on the side and keeps their stable and sustaining day job until the startup reaches a certain size. Ardianti et al. (2022) suggests that hybrid entrepreneurs experience a distinct psychological well-being than other entrepreneurs, perhaps because they are keeping their foot in the door of stability. Once the business is large enough to command the founder's full attention, then the emp...

What is the Lean Launchpad? The Lean Launchpad was developed by Steve Blank (serial entrepreneurs and adjunct professor at Stanford) and colleagues as a repeatable process to create a startup. It is probably the most popular methodology today, featuring in a great number of entrepreneurship programs for students and mature students. It is also the method used at Y-Combinator and other top incubator programs. Despite its popularity, there is little empirical research examining the method. Assumptions behind the Lean Launchpad The theory behind the Lean Launchpad can be described as a discovery theory. The entrepreneurship literature is divided about the nature of entrepreneurial opportunities. At one end of the spectrum is the creationist school that views entrepreneurship as a process of opportunity creation led by teams and individuals (McMullen and Dimov, 2013). At the opposite end of the spectrum, the discovery school defends an objective view of entrepreneurship where opportu...

What is the risk compensation theory of entrepreneurship? Peltzman’s (1975) pioneering study of automobile accidents revealed that expected positive effects of safety regulations rarely materialized upon implementation. He argued that when drivers feel safer, they take more risks, which compensate for the safety interventions. Support for what is now dubbed the ‘Pelzman effect’ (or risk compensation theory) is far reaching and extends to varying contexts including new rules in NASCAR racing, mandated visor use in hockey, consumer vigilance in response to food safety messages, and bike helmet laws. But does this phenomenon also explain greater entrepreneurial risk-taking in the presence of social safety nets? There is emerging evidence that social safety nets can have positive benefits for entrepreneurs by reducing the risk associated with entry. Olds (2016a) finds that states that provided more food stamps have more limited liability company registrations among members of newly ...