Title: Entrepreneurial opportunities: how do cognitive styles and logics of action fit in?

Authors: Kathleen Randerson; Jean-Michel Degeorge; Alain Fayolle

Addresses: EDC Paris Business School, 70 Galerie des Damiers, Paris La Défense 1, Courbevoie, 92415, France ' Ecole des Mines de Saint-Etienne, Département EPICE de l'Institut Fayol, Laboratoire Coactis EA 4161, 158 cours Fauriel, Saint-Etienne cedex, 42000, France ' EMLYON Business School, 23, Avenue Guy de Collongue, Ecully Cedex, 69134, France

Abstract: The aim of this qualitative study is to identify how the perceptions of the entrepreneur on the nature of the opportunity (objective reality/social construction) and his/her cognitive style (analytical/intuitive) influence the process of opportunity pursuit (analytic process/intuition-based process). We find that if expected alignments (analysis/causation/objective opportunity versus intuition/effectuation/constructed opportunity) appear, they are not systematic, and that firm industry and position in the sector are determinant.

Keywords: opportunity creation; opportunity discovery; intuition; analysis; effectuation; causation; entrepreneurial opportunities; cognitive styles; entrepreneurship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2016.073353

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2016 Vol.27 No.1, pp.19 - 39

Received: 02 Apr 2015
Accepted: 06 Apr 2015
Published online: 30 Nov 2015 *

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