← Search

Context, time, and change: Historical approaches to entrepreneurship research

R. Daniel Wadhwani^1,2; David Kirsch³; Friederike Welter^4,5; William B. Gartner^6,7; Geoffrey G. Jones⁸

¹ Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California Los Angeles California · ² Center for Business History Department of Management, Politics, and Philosophy, Copenhagen Business School Copenhagen Denmark · ³ Department of Management and Organization, Robert H. Smith School of Business University of Maryland College Park Maryland · ⁴ School of Economic Disciplines, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany · ⁵ Institut für Mittelstandsforschung Bonn Bonn Germany · ⁶ Division of Entrepreneurship Babson College Babson Park Massachusetts · ⁷ Department of Organisation and Entrepreneurship Linnaeus University Vaxjo Sweden · ⁸ Business History Initiative Harvard Business School Boston Massachusetts

Abstract Research Summary We articulate the value of historical methods and reasoning in strategic entrepreneurship research and theory. We begin by introducing the papers in the special issue, contextualizing each within one of five broader methodological approaches, and elaborating on the applicability of each to other topics in entrepreneurship research. Next, we use the papers to induce a framework for integrating history into entrepreneurship theory. The framework demonstrates how historical assumptions play a formative role in operationalizing time and context in entrepreneurship research. We then show how variations in these treatments of time and context shape theoretical claims about entrepreneurial opportunities, actions, and processes of change. We conclude by discussing why this may be a particularly opportune time for strategic entrepreneurship research to develop a deeper historical sensibility. Managerial Summary History can serve as an especially important guide to understanding entrepreneurship during moments of change. We draw on articles from the special issue on “Historical Approaches to Entrepreneurship Research” to illustrate different forms of historical reasoning and research about entrepreneurship. Moreover, we use the articles to develop a framework for understanding how historical context and time shape entrepreneurial opportunities, actions, and processes of change. We emphasize, in particular, the value of history in understanding variations in entrepreneurial practices.

DOI

10.1002/sej.1346

Volume

14 (1)

Pages

3-19

Language

en

Export

BibTeX

Sources

crossref