Entrepreneurship Theories

The relationship between entrepreneurship and narcissism has been a topic of interest among researchers and scholars for many years (Campbell et al., 2011).  While some studies suggest that narcissistic traits can be beneficial for entrepreneurial success, others argue that they can have negative effects on both the entrepreneur and their ventures (Leung et al., 2021). Entrepreneurs tend to score higher on measures of narcissism than non-entrepreneurs. Some researchers suggest that moderate levels of narcissism may be associated with increased self-confidence, risk-taking, and charisma, which could help CEOs in some situations. For example, a confident CEO may be more likely to pursue new opportunities or navigate challenging situations with ease. Narcissistic CEOs can also have a detrimental impact on the company and the work environment they create. Narcissists take credit for successes and blame others for failures, resulting in a lack of accountability and toxic workplace dynam...

Mental disorders were previously studied as problems needing remedies like medication, interventions, or counselling. A common misconception today is that those with mental health disorders are incapable of the same things that neurotypical individuals are. Neurodivergent individuals often perceive and process information differently than neurotypical individuals consider “normal.” However, that does not make them any less capable. Neurological disorders have been linked to success in many instances, particularly in entrepreneurship. In 2015, Freeman et al. (2015) studied 335 individuals, including 242 entrepreneurs. The study revealed that 49% of the entrepreneurs reported having one or more lifetime mental health conditions.  They were also significantly more likely to report a lifetime history of depression (30%), ADHD (29%), substance use conditions (12%), and bipolar diagnosis (11%) than were comparison participants.  These results suggest that while individuals with ment...

The External Enabler Framework (Davidsson, Recker & von Briel, 2020) is a conceptual toolbox developed for analyzing the strategic and fortuitous influence of changes to the business environment in entrepreneurial pursuits. External Enabler (EE) refers to significant changes to the business environment, such as new technologies, regulatory changes, macroeconomic shifts, demographic and sociocultural trends, changes to the natural environment, and the like. The basic assumption of the EE body of work is that every such change will benefit some entrepreneurial initiatives even if it disadvantages other economic activities. EE analysis focuses on those enabled; other frameworks are needed for analyzing negative consequences of change. The EE concept was introduced as a more workable alternative to “objective opportunity” for realizing the idea of entrepreneurship as a nexus of enterprising agents and favorable environmental conditions (Davidsson, 2015). Unlike the notion of objective ...

Could one become addicted to the idea of being an entrepreneur? Countries vary in terms of how their people view entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurship as a career path. In some places, entrepreneurship may be viewed negatively, or associated with corruption. However, the prevailing view of the entrepreneur in the Western Media is the heroic entrepreneur meme. These are often outsiders that manage to disrupt incumbencies and are associated with ideas such as democracy, freedom, and liberty. Perhaps the positive view of the practice has led to entrepreneurship becoming a desirable pursuit for individuals searching for a lifestyle and character to identity with. These types of individuals have been given names over time including the "Wantrepreneur", Veblenian Entrepreneur or "Untrepreneur". These labels refer to individuals who pursue entrepreneurship not with true innovative intentions, or a desire to solve a problem, or to satisfy a need -- but solely for the look and...

What is a Born Open Startup? A startup that is born open is one that rejects the notion of proprietary knowledge appropriation (e.g,. obtaining patents ). In fact, software patents are probably the born open crowd's worst abomination.   Instead, a born open startup views itself as a part of a ecosystem of firms that work cooperatively and competitively. They typically are autonomous but have some interconnected goals. Open source startups participate in the development of a community of firms with a shared governing policy to prevent the appropriation of the technology. According to Mekki MacAulay, " Open strategy involves the collective production of a shared good in an open fashion such that the resulting product is available to all, including competitors. In the case of open entrepreneurship, 'born-open' startups are entrepreneurial ventures whose business models are designed specifically based around a collective good. Such business models can be effectiv...