To date, the phenomenon of entrepreneurship has lacked a conceptual framework. In this note we draw upon previous research conducted in the different social science disciplines and applied fields of business to create a conceptual framework for the field. With this framework we explain a set of empirical phenomena and predict a set of outcomes not explained or predicted by conceptual frameworks already in existence in other fields.

The Promise of Entrepreneurship as a Field of Research

According to W. Edwards Deming, American companies require nothing less than a transformation of management style and of governmental relations with industry. In Out of the Crisis, originally published in 1982, Deming offers a theory of management based on his famous 14 Points for Management. Management's failure to plan for the future, he claims, brings about loss of market, which brings about loss of jobs. Management must be judged not only by the quarterly dividend, but by innovative plans to stay in business, protect investment, ensure future dividends, and provide more jobs through improved product and service. In simple, direct language, he explains the principles of management transformation and how to apply them.

Out of the Crisis

The primary purpose of this article is to clarify the nature of the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) construct and to propose a contingency framework for investigating the relationship between EO and firm performance. We first explore and refine the dimensions of EO and discuss the usefulness of viewing a firm's EO as a multidimensional construct. Then, drawing on examples from the EO-related contingencies literature, we suggest alternative models (moderating effects, mediating effects, independent effects, interaction effects) for testing the EO-performance relationship.

Clarifying the Entrepreneurial Orientation Construct and Linking It To Performance

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Competing models of entrepreneurial intentions

In economics and management theories, scholars have traditionally assumed the existence of artifacts such as firms/organizations and markets. I argue that an explanation for the creation of such artifacts requires the notion of effectuation. Causation rests on a logic of prediction, effectuation on the logic of control. I illustrate effectuation through business examples and realistic thought experiments, examine its connections with existing theories and empirical evidence, and offer a list of testable propositions for future empirical work.

Causation and Effectuation: Toward a Theoretical Shift from Economic Inevitability to Entrepreneurial Contingency

Entrepreneurship is the creation of organizations. What differentiates entrepreneurs from non-entrepreneurs is that entrepreneurs create organizations, while non-entrepreneurs do not. In behavioral...

“Who Is an Entrepreneur?” Is the Wrong Question:

Presents a framework that highlights the differences among entrepreneurs and among their ventures. Building on the work of others, four dimensions are identified for this framework describing new venture creation. These are: individuals, environment, organization, and process. This is the first framework to combine all four of these dimensions. The individual dimension should consider not only the psychological characteristics of the entrepreneur such as need for achievement and locus of control, but must also consider the entrepreneur's background, experience, and attitudes. The process dimension should be viewed in light of six different behaviors including the location of a business opportunity and the accumulation of resources. Twelve factors are identified for the environmental dimension. These twelve factors were chosen based on the review of 17 research papers focused on environmental variables which affect new venture creation. The organization dimension is composed of three generic competitive advantage strategies and 14 competitive entry wedges. This framework allows for the examination and comparison of very different new ventures. Conflicting results in prior research studies may be explained by considering the dimensions used in that work. (SRD)

A Conceptual Framework for Describing the Phenomenon of New Venture Creation

A review of the entrepreneurship literature suggests that differences among entrepreneurs and among their ventures are as great as the variation between entrepreneurs and nonentrepreneurs and between new firms and established firms. A framework for describing new venture creation integrates four major perspectives in entrepreneurship: characteristics of the individual(s) who start the venture, the organization which they create, the environment surrounding the new venture, and the process by which the new venture is started.

William B. Gartner

Papers

“Who Is an Entrepreneur?” Is the Wrong Question:

A Conceptual Framework for Describing the Phenomenon of New Venture Creation

A Conceptual Framework for Describing the Phenomenon of New Venture Creation

Arriving at the high growth firm

What are we talking about when we talk about entrepreneurship