Exploring Entrepreneurial Diversity: A Fascination or Frustration?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Strategic Innovation

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

Abstract

This chapter critically discusses the importance of acknowledging diversity within entrepreneurship and some strategies to facilitate the richness of the phenomenon. It helps researchers and practitioners to understand the importance and benefits of having different but equally valid world views about the phenomenon, which is vital for entrepreneurship research to progress further. We acknowledge that there are already some established arguments to support inclusiveness within the current context of entrepreneurship research. The aim here is to strengthen these arguments with a brief literature rationale, which is informed by our research experience. One of the key advantages of acknowledging heterogeneity is that it can help scholars to convert any frustrations that is caused by not having common understanding to a fascination to embrace the wholeness of the phenomenon. Our understanding of how to appreciate diversity and inclusion is limited; as a solution, we encourage critical debates among multiple actors of entrepreneurship and urge to widen research adopting more innovative and creative approaches.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
EUR 29.95
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
EUR 117.69
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
EUR 160.49
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
EUR 160.49
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aluthgama-Baduge, C. J. (2017). Educating for enterprise: Exploring the role of the teacher. An interpretative phenomenological analysis [PhD thesis]. Abertay University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amabile, T. M. (1988). A model of creativity and innovation in organisations. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organisational behaviour (pp. 123–167). JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, A. R., & Gaddefors, J. (2017). Is entrepreneurship research out of context? Journal of Asia Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, 13(4), 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bacq, S., & Janssen, F. (2011). The multiple faces of social entrepreneurship: A review of definitional issues based on geographic and thematic criteria. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 23(5–6), 376–403.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, T., & Nelson, R. (2005). Creating something from nothing: Resource construction through entrepreneurial bricolage. Administrative Science Quarterly, 50, 329–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, T., & Welter, F. (2020). Contextualizing entrepreneurship theory. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berglund, H. (2015). Between cognition and discourse: Phenomenology and the study of entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research, 21(3), 472–488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berglund, K., & Johansson, A. W. (2007). Constructions of entrepreneurship: A discourse analysis of academic publications. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 01(1), 77–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Block, J. H., Fisch, C. O., & van Praag, M. (2017). The Schumpeterian entrepreneur: A review of the empirical evidence on the antecedents, behaviour and consequences of innovative entrepreneurship. Industry and Innovation, 24(1), 61–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blundel, R., Lockett, N., & Wang, C. (2018). Exploring entrepreneurship (2nd ed.). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brannback, M., & Carsrud, A. L. (2016). Understanding entrepreneurial cognitions through the lenses of context. In F. Welter & W. B. Gartner (Eds.), A research agenda for entrepreneurship and context (pp. 16–27). Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bridge, S. (2017). The search for entrepreneurship: Finding more questions than answers. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brzozowski, J., Cucculelli, M., & Surdej, A. (2018). Exploring transnational entrepreneurship. Immigrant entrepreneurs and foreign-born returnees in the Italian ICT sector. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 35(5), 413–431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burt, R. S., & Burzynska, K. (2017). Chinese entrepreneurs, social networks, and Guanxi. Management and Organization Review, 13(3), 221–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chell, E. (2013). Review of skill and the entrepreneurial process. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 19(01), 6–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidsson, P, (2004). Researching entrepreneurship. Springer Science + Business Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidsson, P. (2016). Researching entrepreneurship: Conceptualization and design (2nd ed.). Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobson, S., & McLuskie, P. (2020). Performative entrepreneurship: Identity, behaviour and place in adventure sports enterprise. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 16(3), 879–895.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fraiberg, S. (2021). Introduction to special issue on innovation and entrepreneurship communication in the context of globalization. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 35(2), 175–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller-Love, N., & Akiode, M. (2020). Transnational entrepreneurs dynamics in entrepreneurial ecosystems: A critical review. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, 06(1), 41–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaddefors, J., & Anderson, A. (2017). Entrepreneursheep and context: When entrepreneurship is greater than entrepreneurs. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 23(2), 267–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gartner, W. B. (1988). Who is an entrepreneur’ is the wrong question. American Small Business Journal, 12(4), 1–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gartner, W. B. (2012). Psychology, entrepreneurship, and the ‘critical mess’. In J. R. Baum, M. Frese & R. A. Baron (Eds.), The psychology of entrepreneurship (pp. 325–334). Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gold, B. (2017). Silicon valley start-ups and corporate innovation: Approaches to resolve the innovator’s dilemma. Springer Gabler.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haase, H., & Franco, M. (2020). Leadership and collective entrepreneurship: Evidence from the health care sector. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 33(3), 368–385.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, E. Y., Dana, L., & Murphy, P. J. (2018). Telling their own stories: Māori entrepreneurship in the mainstream screen industry. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 30(1-2), 118–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hlady-Rispal, M., & Jouison-Laffitte, E. (2014). Qualitative research methods and epistemological frameworks: A review of publication trends in entrepreneurship. Journal of Small Business Management, 54(4), 594–614.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, O., & Li, H. (2017). Effectual entrepreneuring: A sensemaking in a family-based start-up. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 29(5-6), 67–499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joo, B., McLean, G., & Yang, B. (2013). Creativity and human resource development: An integrative literature review and a conceptual framework for future research. Human Resource Development Review, 12(4), 390–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirzner, I. M. (1973). Competition and entrepreneurship. The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lackéus, M. (2020). Comparing the impact of three different experiential approaches to entrepreneurship in education. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 26, 5937–5971.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leitch, C. M., Hill, F. M., & Harrison, R. T. (2010). The philosophy and practice of interpretivist research in entrepreneurship: Quality validity and trust. Organizational Research Methods, 13(1), 67–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lubart, T. I. (2001). Models of the creative process: Past, present and future. Creativity Research Journal, 13(3-4), 295–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lumpkin, G. T., & Dess, G. G. (1996). Clarifying the entrepreneurial orientation construct and linking it to performance. Academy of Management Review, 21(1), 135–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mäkimurto-Koivumaa, I., & Belt, P. (2016). About, for, in or through entrepreneurship in engineering education. European Journal of Engineering Education, 41(5), 512–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marlow, S. (2020). Gender and entrepreneurship: Past achievements and future possibilities. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), 39–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, S., Gan, B. C., Fraser, S. S., Oke, A., & Anderson, A. R. (2015). A review of research methods in entrepreneurship 1985-2013. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 21(3), 291–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKelvey, B. (2004). Toward a complexity science of entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 19(3), 313–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nayak, A., & Chia, R. (2011). Thinking becoming. Process philosophy and organization studies. Philosophy and Organization Theory Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 32, 281–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2021). Knowledge co-creation in the 21st century: A cross-country experience-based policy report (OECD Science, Technology and Industry Policy Papers No. 115). OECD Publishing. Retrieved June 20, 2021, from https://doi.org/10.1787/c067606f-en

  • Packard, M. D. (2017). Where did interpretivism go in the theory of entrepreneurship? Journal of Business Venturing, 32(5), 536–549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Panicker, S., & Manimala, M. J. (2015). Successful turnarounds: The role of appropriate entrepreneurial strategies. Journal of Strategy and Management, 8(1), 21–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paulsen, R. J., Alper, N., & Wassall, G. (2020). Arts majors as entrepreneurs and innovators. Small Business Economics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-020-00416-x.

  • Qian, H., Acs, Z. J., & Stough, R. R. (2012). Regional systems of entrepreneurship: The nexus of human capital, knowledge and new firm formation. Journal of Economic Geography, 13(4), 559–587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raco, J. R., & Tanod, R. H. M. (2014). The phenomenological method in entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 22(3), 276–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rae, D. (2015). Opportunity-centered entrepreneurship. Red Globe Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rajasinghe, D., Aluthgama-Baduge, C., & Mulholland, G. (2021). Researching entrepreneurship: An approach to develop subjective understanding. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 27(4), 866–883.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rajasinghe, D., & Mansour, H. F. (2019). Coaching as an entrepreneurship learning and development tool. In G. Mulholland & J. Turner (Eds.), Enterprising education in UK higher education: Challenges for theory and practice (pp. 51–69). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ratten, V. (2020). Coronavirus (covid-19) and entrepreneurship: Changing life and work landscape. Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 32(5), 503–516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Refai, D., Haloub, R., & Lever, J. (2018). Contextualizing entrepreneurial identity among Syrian refugees in Jordan: The emergence of destabilised habitus? International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 19(04), 250–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reffstrup, T., & Christiansen, S. K. (2017). Nordic Entrepreneurship Islands: Status and potential map** and forecasting entrepreneurship education on seven selected Nordic Islands. Nordic Council Ministers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaeffer, V., & Matt, M. (2016). Development of academic entrepreneurship in a non-mature context: The role of the university as a hub-organisation. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 28(9-10), 724–745.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schumpeter, J. A. (1934). The theory of economic development: An inquiry into profits, capital, credit, interest, and the business cycle. Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schumpeter, J. A. (2017). Essays on entrepreneurs, innovations, business cycles and the evolution of capitalism. .

    Google Scholar 

  • Stam, E. (2016). Theorising entrepreneurship in context. In F. Welter & W. B. Gartner (Eds.), A research agenda for entrepreneurship and context (pp. 93–108). Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steyaert, C. (2007). Entrepreneuring’ as a conceptual attractor. A review of process theories in 20 years of entrepreneurship studies. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 19, 453–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steyaert, C., & Katz, J. (2004). Reclaiming the space of entrepreneurship in society: Geographical, discursive and social dimensions. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 16(3), 179–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, H. (2020). Global social media design: Bridging differences across cultures. Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, J. (2020). Psychological capital and entrepreneurship sustainability. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(866), 01–07.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Burg, E., Cornelissen, J., Stam, W., & Jack, S. (2020). Advancing qualitative entrepreneurship research: Leveraging methodological plurality for achieving scholarly impact. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258720943051

  • Verheul, I., & Van Stel, A. J. (2010). Entrepreneurial diversity and economic growth. In J. Bonnet, D. Garcia, & H. van Auken (Eds.), The entrepreneurial society; How to fill the gap between knowledge and innovation (pp. 17–36). Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Welter, F., Baker, T., Audretsch, D. B., & Gartner, W. B. (2017). Everyday entrepreneurship—A call for entrepreneurship research to embrace entrepreneurial diversity. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 41(3), 311–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welter, F., Gartner, W. B., & Wright, M. (2016). The context of contextualizing contexts. In F. Welter & W. B. Gartner (Eds.), A research agenda for entrepreneurship and context (pp. 1–15). Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, S. D., Ammetller, G., Rodríguez-Ardura, I., & Li, X. (2020). Narratives of international women entrepreneurs: An exploratory case study of identity negotiation in technology startups. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 63(1), 39–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodman, R. W., Sawyer, J. E., & Griffin, R. W. (1993). Toward a theory of organisational creativity. Academy of Management Review, 18(2), 293–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, X., & Zhou, J. (2014). Empowering leadership, uncertainty avoidance, trust, and employee creativity: Interaction effects and a mediating mechanism. Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision, 124(2), 150–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chinthaka Aluthgama-Baduge .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Aluthgama-Baduge, C., Rajasinghe, D. (2022). Exploring Entrepreneurial Diversity: A Fascination or Frustration?. In: Leitão, J., Ratten, V. (eds) Strategic Innovation. Contributions to Management Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87112-3_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Navigation