Ronald K. Mitchell

Toward a Theory of Entrepreneurial Cognition: Rethinking the People Side of Entrepreneurship Research

The failure of past “entrepreneurial personality”—based research to clearly distinguish the unique contributions to the entrepreneurial process of entrepreneurs as people, has created a vacuum within the entrepreneurship literature that has been waiting to be filled. Recently, the application of ideas and concepts from cognitive science has gained currency within entrepreneurship research, as evidenced by the growing accumulation of successful studies framed in entrepreneurial cognition terms. In this article we reexamine “the people side of entrepreneurship” by summarizing the state of play within the entrepreneurial cognition research stream, and by integrating the five articles accepted for publication in this special issue into this ongoing narrative. We believe that the constructs, variables, and proposed relationships under development within the cognitive perspective offer research concepts and techniques that are well suited to the analysis of problems that require better explanations of the contributions to entrepreneurship that are distinctly human.

Cross-Cultural Cognitions and the Venture Creation Decision

Theories of social cognition, information processing, and expertise provided the foundation for a cross-cultural model of venture creation. Using data from seven countries, we found support for the...

The Central Question in Entrepreneurial Cognition Research 2007

In this article, we take note of advances in the entrepreneurial cognition research stream. In doing so, we bring increasing attention to the usefulness of entrepreneurial cognition research. First, we offer and develop a central research question to further enable entrepreneurial cognition inquiry. Second, we present the conceptual background and some representative approaches to entrepreneurial cognition research that form the context for this question. Third, we introduce the articles in this Special Issue as framed by the central question and approaches to entrepreneurial cognition research, and suggest how they further contribute to this developing stream. Finally, we offer our views concerning the challenges and opportunities that await the next generation of entrepreneurial cognition scholarship. We therefore invite (and seek to enable) the growing community of entrepreneurship researchers from across multiple disciplines to further develop the “thinking–doing” link in entrepreneurship research. It is our goal to offer colleagues an effective research staging point from which they may embark upon many additional research expeditions and investigations involving entrepreneurial cognition.

Are Entrepreneurial Cognitions Universal? Assessing Entrepreneurial Cognitions across Cultures

In this study we examine three research questions concerned with entrepreneurial cognition and culture: (1) Do entrepreneurs have cognitions distinct from those of other business people? (2) To what extent are entrepreneurial cognitions universal? and (3) To what extent do entrepreneurial cognitions differ by national culture? These questions were investigated in an exploratory study using data collected from 990 respondents in eleven countries. We find, in answer to question one, that individuals who possess “professional entrepreneurial cognitions” do indeed have cognitions that are distinct from business non-entrepreneurs. In answer to question two, we report further confirmation of a universal culture of entrepreneurship. And in answer to question three, we find (a) observed differences on eight of the ten proposed cognition constructs, and (b) that the pattern of country representation within an empirically developed set of entrepreneurial archetypes does indeed differ among countries. Our results suggest increasing credibility for the cognitive explanation of entrepreneurial phenomena in the cross-cultural setting.

The Distinctive and Inclusive Domain of Entrepreneurial Cognition Research

Through mapping both distinctive and inclusive elements within the domain of entrepreneurial cognition research, we accomplish our task in this introductory article to Volume 2 of the Special Issue on Information Processing and Entrepreneurial Cognition: to provide a fitting backdrop that will enhance the articles you will find within. We develop and utilize a “boundaries and exchange” concept to provide a lens through which both distinctive and inclusive aspects of the entrepreneurship domain are employed to frame this special issue.

Institutional Environment and Entrepreneurial Cognitions: A Comparative Business Systems Perspective

In this study, we investigate the relationship between institutional elements of the social environment and entrepreneurial cognitions, which lead to the individuals venture creation decision. Employing a sample of 757 entrepreneurs and non–entrepreneurs from eight countries we examine the extent to which institutions influence venture creation decisions, where entrepreneurial expert scripts act as a mediator. Results show that various institutional elements, such as legal and financial systems, affect venture arrangements and willingness scripts. Venture arrangements scripts, in turn, have the most significant impact on an individuals venture creation decision.

Untangling the Intuition Mess: Intuition as a Construct in Entrepreneurship Research

Entrepreneurs often use intuition to explain their actions. But because entrepreneurial intuition is poorly defined in the research literature: the “intuitive” is confused with the “innate,” what is systematic is overlooked, and unexplained variance in entrepreneurial behavior remains high. Herein we: (1) bound and define the construct of entrepreneurial intuition within the distinctive domain of entrepreneurship research; (2) apply a levels–of–consciousness logic and process dynamism approach to; (3) organize definitions, antecedents, and consequences; and (4) produce propositions that lead to a working definition of entrepreneurial intuition. Our analysis renders intuition more usable in entrepreneurship research, and more valuable in practice.

The transacting cognitions of nonfamily employees in the family businesses setting

This paper identifies the thinking patterns necessary for nonfamily employees to work effectively within family businesses. Herein, we use transaction cognition theory (Mitchell, R.K., 2001) to systematically identify the extent of cognitive complexity experienced by nonfamily employees, and thereby highlight factors within the cognitive situation that can improve family/nonfamily compatibility and effectiveness. We conclude with a discussion of the transaction cognition theory contribution to theory building.

Entrepreneurial Scripts and the New Transaction Commitment Mindset: Extending the Expert Information Processing Theory Approach to Entrepreneurial Cognition Research

In this study, we extend the expert information processing theory approach to entrepreneurial cognition research through an empirical exploration of the new transaction commitment mindset among business people in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Using analysis of covariance, multivariate analysis of variance, and hierarchical regression analysis of data from a cross–sectional sample of 417 respondents, our results provide a foundation for additional cross–level theory development, with related implications for increasing the practicality of expert information processing theory–based entrepreneurial cognition research. Specifically, this paper: (1) clarifies the nature of the relationship between entrepreneurial expert scripts and constructs that might represent an entrepreneurial mindset at the individual level of analysis; (2) identifies analogous relationships at the economy level of analysis, where the structure found at the individual level informs an economy–level problem; (3) presents a North American Free Trade Agreement–based illustration analysis to demonstrate the extent to which cognitive findings at the individual level can be used to explain economy–level phenomena; and (4) extrapolates from our analysis some of the ways in which script–based comparisons across country or culture can inform the more general task of making information processing–based comparisons among entrepreneurs across other contexts.

Tuning up the Global Value Creation Engine: The Road to Excellence in International Entrepreneurship Education

Most of us believe that entrepreneurs are special. We do this because both scholars and practitioners tell us so.