The Psychological Actions and Entrepreneurial Success: An Action Theory Approach
Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Chapter › peer-review
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The Psychology of Entrepreneurship . ed. / J. Robert Baum; Michael Frese; Robert A. Baron . 1. ed. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2007. p. 151-188 (The organizational frontiers series).
Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Chapter › peer-review
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}
RIS
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 -