TY - CHAP

T1 - The Psychological Actions and Entrepreneurial Success

T2 - An Action Theory Approach

AU - Frese, Michael

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - This chapter starts with a strong assumption: Entrepreneurs’ actions are important and should be a starting point for theorizing in entrepreneurship (cf. also McMullen & Shepherd, 2006). I am well aware that not all entrepreneurship theorists share this assumption. Most importantly, ecological theories have left out actions from their theories (Aldrich, 1999). This is surprising for an evolutionary approach because entrepreneurial actions are as important to entrepreneurial outcomes as sexual behavior is to procreation and, therefore, survival of genes and population of genes (Dawkins, 1976). Whether or not an organization occupies a successful niche or whether or not it introduced an innovation is the result of actions and not a purely accidental process. Starting one’s business in a market niche and defending the niche is an active process and not passive adaptation. Such an active approach is slowly accepted in entrepreneurship research, as scholars take more seriously that there can be effective and non-effective actions vis-à-vis the market (McMullen & Shepherd, 2006; Sarasvathy, 2001). Most actions are geared towards the environment and take into account environmental conditions. However, the most important feature of entrepreneurial action is not that it is well adjusted to environmental conditions (this is true of behavior that reacts to environmental stimuli and is guided by the stimuli) but that it changes the environment.

AB - This chapter starts with a strong assumption: Entrepreneurs’ actions are important and should be a starting point for theorizing in entrepreneurship (cf. also McMullen & Shepherd, 2006). I am well aware that not all entrepreneurship theorists share this assumption. Most importantly, ecological theories have left out actions from their theories (Aldrich, 1999). This is surprising for an evolutionary approach because entrepreneurial actions are as important to entrepreneurial outcomes as sexual behavior is to procreation and, therefore, survival of genes and population of genes (Dawkins, 1976). Whether or not an organization occupies a successful niche or whether or not it introduced an innovation is the result of actions and not a purely accidental process. Starting one’s business in a market niche and defending the niche is an active process and not passive adaptation. Such an active approach is slowly accepted in entrepreneurship research, as scholars take more seriously that there can be effective and non-effective actions vis-à-vis the market (McMullen & Shepherd, 2006; Sarasvathy, 2001). Most actions are geared towards the environment and take into account environmental conditions. However, the most important feature of entrepreneurial action is not that it is well adjusted to environmental conditions (this is true of behavior that reacts to environmental stimuli and is guided by the stimuli) but that it changes the environment.

KW - Business psychology

KW - Entrepreneurship

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120495294&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/2ad11169-ca2a-32e0-a915-e10ebfec02d8/

U2 - 10.4324/9781315750989

DO - 10.4324/9781315750989

M3 - Chapter

SN - 0-8058-5062-7

SN - 9780805850628

T3 - The organizational frontiers series

SP - 151

EP - 188

BT - The Psychology of Entrepreneurship

A2 - Baum, J. Robert

A2 - Frese, Michael

A2 - Baron , Robert A.

PB - Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

CY - Mahwah

ER -