Entrepreneurial Intensity: Sustainable Advantages for Individuals, Organizations, and Societies

191 Pages·1998·2.31 MB·English

by  Michael H. Morris

Entrepreneurial Intensity

Entrepreneurial Intensity
Sustainable Advantages for
Individuals, Organizations,
and Societies
Michael H. Morris
Foreword by Leyland Pitt
QUORUMBOOKS
Westport,Connecticut • London
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Morris,MichaelH.
Entrepreneurialintensity:sustainableadvantagesfor
individuals,organizations,andsocieties/MichaelH.Morris;foreword
byLeylandPitt.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0–89930–975–5(alk.paper)
1.Entrepreneurship. I.Title.
HB615.M674 1998
338'.04—dc21 97–31518
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:2)1998byMichaelH.Morris
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,without
theexpresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:97–31518
ISBN:0–89930–975–5
Firstpublishedin1998
QuorumBooks,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational
InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
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CopyrightAcknowledgments
Theauthorandpublisheraregratefulforpermissiontoreproduceportionsofthefollowingcopy-
rightedmaterial:
Table 3.1, ‘‘Criteria for Evaluating Opportunities,’’ from J.A. Timmons, New Venture Creation:
Entrepreneurshipinthe1990s(Homewood,IL:Irwin,1990).Copyright1990.Reprintedwithper-
missionofTheMcGraw-HillCompanies.
Figure4.2,‘‘‘MissingtheBoat’and‘SinkingtheBoat’Risk,’’from‘‘MissingtheBoatandSinking
theBoat:AConceptualModelofEntrepreneurialRisk.’’ReprintedwithpermissionfromJournal
of Marketing, published by the American Marketing Association, Peter R. Dickson and Joseph J.
Giglierano,Vol.50(July1986),64.
Table 5.1, ‘‘Selected Findings on the Role of Environmental Conditions in FacilitatingEntrepre-
neurship,’’fromD.R.GnyawaliandD.S.Fogel,‘‘EnvironmentsforEntrepreneurshipDevelopment:
KeyDimensionsandResearchImplications,’’Entrepreneurship:TheoryandPractice,18(4)(1994),
47–49.Reprintedwithpermission.
Figure7.1,‘‘KeyBusinessDimensionsandEntrepreneurship,’’fromH.Stevenson,M.J.Roberts,
andH.I.Grousbeck,NewBusinessVenturesandtheEntrepreneur,4thed.(BurrRidge,IL:Irwin,
1994).PermissiontoreproducegrantedbyHarvardBusinessSchoolPublishing,August1997.
To Minet
Entrepreneur, Scholar, Partner, Friend

Contents
Illustrations xi
Foreword by Leyland Pitt xv
Preface xvii
1. Common Myths Regarding Entrepreneurship 1
Introduction 1
Myth 1: Entrepreneurship Is About Starting and Running a Small
Business 2
Myth 2: Entrepreneurship Is a Discrete Event That Just ‘‘Happens’’ 2
Myth 3: Entrepreneurship Is an ‘‘Either/Or’’ Thing 3
Myth 4: Entrepreneurship Is About Taking Wild Risks 4
Myth 5: Entrepreneurs Are Born 4
Myth 6: Entrepreneurship Is About Greed 5
Myth 7: Entrepreneurship Is About Individuals 5
Myth 8: There Is Only One Type of Entrepreneur 6
Myth 9: Entrepreneurship Requires Lots of Money 7
Myth 10: Entrepreneurship Is About Luck 7
Myth 11: Entrepreneurship Starts with a New Product or Service 8
Myth 12: Entrepreneurship Is Unstructured and Chaotic 9
Myth 13: Most Entrepreneurial Ventures Fail 9
Conclusions 10
2. Understanding Entrepreneurship 13
Introduction 13
The Definition of Entrepreneurship 14
viii Contents
The Variable Nature of Entrepreneurship 17
An Integrative Model of Entrepreneurship 18
Conclusions 21
3. The Process of Entrepreneurship 25
Introduction 25
Identify an Opportunity 26
Develop the Concept 28
Determine Resource Requirements 32
Acquire the Needed Resources 32
Implement the Concept and Manage the Operation 34
Harvest the Venture 35
Conclusions 35
4. The Concept of Entrepreneurial Intensity 37
Introduction 37
Exploring the Underlying Dimensions of Entrepreneurship 37
Entrepreneurial Intensity—Degreeand Frequency of
Entrepreneurship 42
The Entrepreneurial Grid 44
Applying the Grid at the Level of the Individual 45
Applying the Grid at the Level of the Organization 47
Applying the Grid at the Societal Level 49
Measuring Entrepreneurial Intensity 51
Conclusions 55
5. The Environment for Entrepreneurship 59
Introduction 59
Environmental Infrastructure 60
Environmental Turbulence 63
Personal Life Experiences 68
Conclusions: Specifying the Proposed Relationships 70
6. The Entrepreneurial Individual 75
Introduction 75
The Entrepreneurial Personality 77
Categories of Entrepreneurs 80
The Paths to Entrepreneurship: Triggering Events 83
The Role of Teams 85
Networks and the Entrepreneur 87
Conclusions 90
Contents ix
7. The Entrepreneurial Organization 93
Introduction 93
Managers as Promoters versus Trustees 94
Effecting Change: Where to Focus Attention 96
Human Resource Management Policies and Entrepreneurship 101
What About Public Sector Organizations? 103
Conclusions 108
8. Entrepreneurship at the Societal Level 113
Introduction 113
Three Examples of Entrepreneurial Economies 114
Sustaining the Entrepreneurial Society: The Rules of the Game 117
The Implications of Societal Entrepreneurship: Impact on
Quality of Life 118
Quality of Life, Growth, and the Entrepreneurial Dynamic 126
Conclusions 128
9. Government and Entrepreneurship 131
Introduction 131
In Favoring Small Business, Government Ignores Entrepreneurship 131
The Dangerous Direction of Public Policy 133
Bureaucracy and the Anti-Entrepreneurial Bias of Government 135
Toward Entrepreneurial Government 138
Conclusions 140
10. A Braver New World: Entrepreneurship and the Future 143
Introduction 143
The Prognosticators 144
Changing Markets, Marketing, and the Entrepreneur 148
Entrepreneurial Dilemmas and the Future 152
Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs 154
Toward Sustainable Advantage: Entrepreneurship and Life Cycles 157
Conlusions 160
Suggested Readings 163
Index 165