Psychological Foundations Of The Entrepreneurial Mindset

Highlighting three decades of key research and emphasizing the psychological processes that characterize us all, Psychological Foundations of The Entrepreneurial Mindset moves away from the traditional focus on the entrepreneurial ecosystem to provide a novel investigation at the level of the individuals themselves. Identifying important questions including: Does the entrepreneur have a strong vision? Can the person execute successfully? and how will he or she recover if the business encounters setbacks? Kelly Shaver discusses how these judgements relate to an individual person, not a business. The book analyses the foundations of an entrepreneur's mindset including sensation and perception, cognition, motivation and elements of personality, and considers how these factors contribute to ongoing behaviour distinguishing one entrepreneur from another. Using research data from over 4,000 people in two countries and showcasing tests which are calibrated separately between men and women, this insightful book identifies the need for a different approach to better understand an entrepreneur's mindset. Providing a stimulating read, this book will be an excellent resource for entrepreneurship scholars interested in individual differences and wanting to specialize in the entrepreneurial mindset. Psychology researchers interested in learning more about the behaviour of entrepreneurs and operators of assistance programs will also find the data illuminating and informative.

Highlighting three decades of key research and emphasizing the psychological processes that characterize us all, Psychological Foundations of The Entrepreneurial Mindset moves away from the traditional focus on the entrepreneurial ecosystem to provide a novel investigation at the level of the individuals themselves.

Interest in the functioning of the human mind can certainly be traced to Plato and Aristotle who often dealt with issues of perceptions and motivations. While the Greeks may have contemplated the human condition, the modern study of the human mind can be traced back to Sigmund Freud (1900) and the psychoanalytic movement. He began the exploration of both conscious and unconscious factors that propelled humans to engage in a variety of behaviors. While Freud’s focus may have been on repressed sexuality our focus in this volume lies elsewhere. We are concerned herein with the expression of the cognitions, motivations, passions, intentions, perceptions, and emotions associated with entrepreneurial behaviors. We are attempting in this volume to expand on the work of why entrepreneurs think d- ferently from other people (Baron, 1998, 2004). During the decade of the 1990s the eld of entrepreneurship research seemingly abandoned the study of the entrepreneur. This was the result of earlier research not being able to demonstrate some unique entrepreneurial personality, trait, or char- teristic (Brockhaus and Horwitz, 1986). It was both a naïve and simplistic search for the “holy grail” of what made entrepreneurs the way they are. However, many of the researchers in this volume have never gave up the belief that a better und- standing of the mind of the entrepreneur would give us a better understanding of the processes that lead to the creation of new ventures.

This open access book investigates the inter-relationship between the mind and a potential opportunity to explore the psychology of entrepreneurship. Building on recent research, this book offers a broad scope investigation of the different aspects of what goes on in the mind of the (potential) entrepreneur as he or she considers the pursuit of a potential opportunity, the creation of a new organization, and/or the selection of an entrepreneurial career. This book focuses on individuals as the level of analysis and explores the impact of the organization and the environment only inasmuch as they impact the individual’s cognitions. Readers will learn why some individuals and managers are able to able to identify and successfully act upon opportunities in uncertain environments while others are not. This book applies a cognitive lens to understand individuals’ knowledge, motivation, attention, identity, and emotions in the entrepreneurial process.

The book explores various aspects of cognitive and motivational psychology as they impact entrepreneurial behavior. Building upon the 2009 volume, Understanding the Entrepreneurial Mind, the editors and contributors explore the cognitions, motivations, passions, intentions, perceptions, and emotions associated with entrepreneurial behaviors, in each case preserving their original chapters and enhancing them with thoughtful and targeted updates, reflecting on the most recent developments in theory and practice, telling the story of what has transpired in the last decade in the field of entrepreneurial psychology. The volume addresses such questions as: Why do some people start business and others do not? Is entrepreneurship a natural quality or can it be taught? Do entrepreneurs think differently from others? While there is a great deal of literature exploring the dynamics of new firm creation, policies to promote innovation and technology transfer, and the psychology of creativity; research on entrepreneurial mindset or cognition is relatively new, and draws largely from such related fields as organizational behavior, cognitive and social psychology, career development, and consumer research. In this book, editors Brännback and Carsrud have reassembled the contributors to Understanding the Entrepreneurial Mind to discuss new research paradigms given their vantage point years after the original volume was published. Featuring the most current literature references, Revisiting the Entrepreneurial Mind continues to challenge conventional approaches to entrepreneurship and articulate an agenda for future research.

Being an entrepreneur isn't just a job, it's a state of mind. You want to be an entrepreneur, a successful entrepreneur. You know what you have to do to get your business off the ground, but do you know how to face the mental challenges of starting, running and eventually selling a business? The entrepreneurial mindset is unique entrepreneurs embrace problems, think on their feet and aren't afraid to take risks. They persevere through good and bad times and are adept at spotting talent and opportunities. WithThink Like An Entrepreneur you too can get this mindset. Drawing on powerful psychological techniques from neuro-linguistic programming and transactional analysis, you'll be taken through the life cycle of a business and coached into thinking and behaving as a successful entrepreneur. You'll build a rock solid foundation of self belief, learn to be open to the wealth of opportunities around you, gain a positive forward thinking can-do' approach and much much more. Think your way to success! '...a wonderful guidebook for anyone who is ready to start their own business and begin living their dreams.' Robert Dilts, Founder of NLP University and leading contributor to the field of NLP since the 1990s 'Robbie combines the best commercial acumen with some of the most cutting-edge personal development tools on the planet.' Kimberley Hare, Co-Founder and CEO, Kaizen Training Limited An authoritative and sharply written guide to the psychology of success in business.' Al Alvarez, Novelist, Poet, Critic and author of many highly praised non-fiction books including The Biggest Game in Town.

This book draws attention to the classic, seminal articles in entrepreneurship that have made profound contributions to the field’s emergence, development, and maturity. In each chapter, a classic is identified, ideas contained therein that are still relevant to the field are discussed, and subsequently follow-up research that is being conducted based on these ideas is highlighted, including possible areas of future research. Scholars will embrace this systematic effort to identify and reveal the contribution of classic articles in entrepreneurship research and their impact on subsequent scholarship.

This book will act as a personal coach for entrepreneurs. Discover the psychology behind starting your own business and how to overcome the psychological difficulties that can arise as the business grows.