Culture and Entrepreneurship in East Asia

Ying Cheng (), Adam Cross (), Martin Hemmert (), Agata Kapturkiewicz (), Masahiro Kotosaka () and Franz Waldenberger ()
Additional contact information
Ying Cheng: Chongqing University, School of Economics and Business Administration
Adam Cross: Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Martin Hemmert: Korea University, School of Business
Agata Kapturkiewicz: Sophia University
Masahiro Kotosaka: Keio University, Faculty of Policy Management
Franz Waldenberger: German Institute for Japanese Studies

Chapter 8 in Unleashing Innovation the East Asian Way, 2026, pp 127-147 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Culture, defined as the shared norms, values, beliefs and practices in a society, strongly matters for entrepreneurship. From a Western perspective, entrepreneurial culture is associated with individualism, high tolerance of risk, and egalitarian, non-hierarchical values. These values could traditionally not flourish in East Asia due to Confucian traditions that emphasise hierarchy, collectivism, and long-term orientation. However, Japan, Korea, and China have all undergone profound economic and cultural transformations that have fostered a more supportive entrepreneurial environment. Japan, traditionally collectivist, is gradually embracing individualism, supporting its growing startup ecosystems. Korea’s chaebol-driven industrialisation demonstrated how Confucian values could enable bold business strategies, while recent cultural shifts have fuelled the growth of startups. China, despite periods of state-imposed restrictions of private business, has recently emerged as a global entrepreneurial powerhouse. East Asian entrepreneurship differs from Silicon Valley’s model but has demonstrated remarkable success, leveraging strong leadership and long-term thinking. This nuanced perspective highlights how distinct cultural conditions can drive entrepreneurial excellence in unique ways.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial culture; Confucianism; Hierarchy; Individualism; Collectivism; Long-term orientation; Cultural change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-95-6513-9_8

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9789819565139

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-95-6513-9_8

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Books from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().