A Quantum view of entrepreneurial opportunity: moving beyond the Discovery and Creation views

Jiyao Chen (), Stephen X. Zhang () and Erik Lundmark ()
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Jiyao Chen: Oregon State University
Stephen X. Zhang: University of Adelaide
Erik Lundmark: Macquarie University

Small Business Economics, 2024, vol. 63, issue 4, No 10, 1539-1553

Abstract: Abstract This article sheds new light on the debate between the Discovery and Creation views of entrepreneurial opportunity by drawing on quantum theory. We develop the Quantum view of opportunity, which explains how opportunity is both discovered and created. The Quantum view holds that the ontology and epistemology of opportunity are fundamentally inseparable, which explains why opportunity can never be fully specified. We argue, similar to the Discovery view, that opportunity exists as latent states irrespective of entrepreneurs and that, similar to the Creation view, opportunity is instantiated through entrepreneurial action, which changes opportunity. We use the Quantum view as a thought-provoking metaphor that facilitates the breaking out of the mold of ingrained thinking and moves beyond the Discovery-Creation dichotomy to further our understanding of entrepreneurship. We discuss how the Quantum view relates to established theoretical and empirical research in the entrepreneurship field.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial opportunity; Quantum mechanics; Metaphor; Agency; Duality; Uncertainty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D81 L26 O31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s11187-024-00887-2

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