CFP: Entrepreneurial Behavior (ETP)

[entrepreneurship-phd at lists.uni-due.de]

Call for Papers
Special Issue of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice on
Entrepreneurial Behavior

Guest Editors
* Barbara J. Bird, American University
* Leon Schjoedt, University of Central Florida
* J. R. Baum, University of Maryland

The actual behaviors of entrepreneurs are Critical to new venture creation are the actual behaviors of entrepreneurs as it is the actions taken by individuals that give rise to a new organization. Thoughts, intentions, motivations, learning, relationships and intelligence without action do not create a new organization or economic value. 

Entrepreneurial behavior is the study of human behavior involved in identifying and exploiting opportunities through creating and developing new ventures.  The major goals of research on entrepreneurial behavior are to explain, predict, and control (shape and change) behavior at the individual and team level. To achieve these goals, research on entrepreneurial behavior needs to focus on the concrete enactment of individual or team tasks and activities required to launch and develop a new venture.  Further, these tasks and activities are best understood as discrete, concrete units of action that can (at least theoretically) be observed by others.  Researchers need to move toward agreement on the appropriate size "chunk" of behavior that is meaningful and useful for research.  For example, filing a patent is relatively discrete and theoretically observable.  At a more "micro" level this activity involves completing paper work, research patent claims of others, paying fees and may include hiring someone to do this.  At a more "macro" level, the variable would be "protecting intellectual property" (which might include along with patent application, aggressive defense of these, formalizing employment agreements, etc.).  

In addition, we would expect some behaviors critical to start up to become less important (frequent) at later stages and other behaviors to emerge as important in these later stages. With more concrete, common "chunks," and better, possibly common methods, we can build a stream of research that anchors the field of entrepreneurship behaviorally.  Once common behaviors are identified and measured systematically, we can offer situational models (when, where, and with whom behaviors are likely to be more or less successful).  Our stakeholders (students, entrepreneurs, government agencies) will know better "what to do" to successfully create and develop new ventures.  

A recent review of entrepreneurship journals (Bird & Schjoedt, 2009) found some, but limited, research on entrepreneurial behavior and that this research relies on "behaviors" that are not specific or concrete (e.g., doing market research). Furthermore, researchers often, and certainly students and laypeople, fail to differentiate "behavioral" terms at the individual level of analysis.  Thus, there is a need to specify what constitutes behavior.  Behaviors are actions and therefore also activities of individuals (entrepreneurs).  Tasks are discrete pieces of work to be done (and measurable as a performance or outcome); several activities may be needed to complete a task. Processes are sequences of action, which attempt to achieve a particular aim and which may involve more than one actor and reciprocal behaviors; as aggregates processes are not as likely to meet the behavioral criterion of observability. Other aggregates of behaviors may be seen as roles (behaviors, tasks, activities that comprise sensible, meaningful clusters).  Human capital (e.g., capacities, competence, abilities, skills, experience, and knowledge) enable behaviors, but is not behavior itself.  The same enabling function is provided by social capital.  Human and social capital are built through behaviors.  Performance (or results such as having a business plan) is usually a complex aggregation of many behaviors and potentially several actors.  With these considerations in mind, we seek research based on precise use of behavioral terms for this special issue on entrepreneurial behavior.

Bird & Schjoedt (2009) also note that the research on entrepreneurial behavior relies perhaps too heavily on self-reports and single item measures (e.g., indicators such as those used in the PSED dataset).  Thus, with this special issue, we seek to encourage measurement and methods beyond self-report and single-items.  We also encourage research that has behavior as an independent, dependent or control variable. 

At the core of this special issue on entrepreneurial behavior, will be research on the observable actions entrepreneurs undertake as they identify and exploit opportunities in creating new organizations.
 
Our focus is the earliest stages of venturing, although papers that address individual behaviors that engender venture growth are welcome. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to empirical (and conceptual) efforts that address:

* Actions taken in finding, shaping, and selecting an opportunity
* Actions taken in starting up a venture
* Scripted and unscripted (improvised, emergent) behaviors in opportunity, start up, and growth of new ventures
* Behaviors (and behavior changes) of individuals and teams in the stages of venture development
* Individual and shared leadership behaviors in new ventures
* The behaviors of entrepreneurs as they engage in processes such as decision making, market research, and contacting financing sources
* Communication behaviors, team building, conflict management, and role behaviors of entrepreneurs, etc.
* Tasks within and across stages of nascency and start up (strong papers that extend beyond start up will also be considered)
* Relationship between individual (and team) behavior of entrepreneurs and venture performance
* Temporal aspects of entrepreneurial behavior (how behavior changes with time, how entrepreneurial behavior is observed (and/or valued) differently in different historical eras, how long an activity takes to "complete," and the timing and sequencing of behaviors
* Comparisons between intentional and reactive behaviors and the sources and/or consequences of these different types of behaviors
* Roles that entrepreneurs take, shape, and create for themselves (specifying observable behaviors associated with these roles is expected)
* Beeper, diary, or experience sampling methods of accessing the behaviors of entrepreneurs and teams
* Inductive or qualitative research that enhances understanding of actions taken as part of the new venture creation process
* Participant observation, film, video, indirect and unobstrusive data collection methods of behaviors of entrepreneurs and teams
* Simulations of new venture context and experiments that demand and measure complex behaviors
* Measures of behavior that demonstrate strong psychometric properties in relevant samples of entrepreneurs

Authors should follow the Information for Contributors of Manuscripts as published in Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice. Manuscripts should be submitted in ET&P format to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/etp by April 4, 2011 5 PM. Papers will be accepted between March 1, 2011 and April 4, 2011 only.  Papers submitted before March 1, 2011 or after April 4, 2011 will be returned to the authors but may be submitted to general consideration in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice.  Authors must specify that the submission is for the special issue on Entrepreneurial Behavior. All papers will be subject to the journal's normal double-blind review process. Publication is scheduled for 2012 (volume 36, issue 5). Please contact Barbara J. Bird (bbird at american.edu) and 202-885-1924 Leon Schjoedt (leonschjoedt at ymail.com) and 407-823-3725, or Bob Baum  (jrbaum at rhsmith.umd.edu) and 301-405-3908 if you have any questions about the special issue.