Theorizing and Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Building theories is essential for advancing knowledge of entrepreneurship. But it is also a highly challenging task. Although there is a burgeoning literature that offers many theorizing tools, we lack a coherent understanding of how these tools fit together—when to use a particular tool, and which combination of tools can be used in the theorizing process. This article organizes a systematic review of the literature on theory building around the five critical elements of a good story: conflict, character, setting, sequence, and plot and arc. In doing so, we hope to provide a richer understanding of how specific tools facilitate aspects of the theorizing process and offer a clearer big picture of the process of building important new entrepreneurship theories. We also offer pragmatic empirical theorizing as an approach that uses quantitative empirical findings to stimulate theorizing on entrepreneurial anomalies.