The Joint of Effects of Divergent and Convergent Thinking on Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition: Findings from Exploratory Case Studies

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Reference

Zagorac-Uremovic, Z., Palmer, C., & Marxt, C. (2017). The Joint of Effects of Divergent and Convergent Thinking on Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition: Findings from Exploratory Case Studies. Presented at the Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship and Research Exchange 2017, Melbourne, Australia.

Publication type

Presentation at Scholarly Conference

Abstract

While organizational innovation literature has acknowledged the joint roles of divergent and convergent thinking in creativity, entrepreneurship research has not yet investigated those two pairs in the light of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. This paper does not only close this gap by means of a mixed-methods case study analysis but also investigates several context-specific aspects of divergent and convergent thinking. First, the paper demonstrates the actual application patterns of both divergent and convergent thinking over the course of the opportunity recognition process, which is critical to understand their effectiveness depending on the context, such as that of high-technology environments. Second, it provides results on the effects of the individual ability levels of both cognitive mechanisms on different aspects of opportunity recognition, such as market newness, customer usefulness and market size. Third, the paper presents different types of opportunities, which favour certain cognitive styles.

Research

The role of cognitive flexibility in entrepreneurial opportunity recognition
FFF-Förderprojekt, February 2016 until June 2018 (finished)

Entrepreneurial opportunity recognition is considered as a pivotal capability for entrepreneurial action and success. This is especially true for entrepreneurs who operate in complex and competitive ... more ...

Persons

Organizational Units

  • Institute for Entrepreneurship
  • Chair of Technology and Entrepreneurship
  • Chair of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship