The Socio–Cognitive Dynamics of Entrepreneurial Ideation

Robert M. Gemmell, Richard J. Boland and David A. Kolb

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 2012, vol. 36, issue 5, 1053-1073

Abstract: How do entrepreneurs obtain the creative ideas they need to develop innovative new products? We interviewed 32 technology entrepreneurs to generate a grounded theory as to how technology entrepreneurs use social behaviors, techniques, and cognitive processes to generate, validate, and refine ideas for new products, processes, or services. The results reveal a complex, cyclical, and recursive multilevel social process emphasizing active and social experimentation. Greatest ideational productivity occurs when “trusted partners†exchange and refine ideas through a form of shared cognition. The findings will be useful to researchers and practitioners interested in entrepreneurship, social creativity, and management team dynamics.

Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:entthe:v:36:y:2012:i:5:p:1053-1073

DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6520.2011.00486.x

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