Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2010
Abstract
Entrepreneurs need creative ideas to develop innovative new products. We interviewed 32 technology entrepreneurs to generate a grounded theory about how technology entrepreneurs use social behaviors, techniques and cognitive processes to attain, develop, refine, validate and filter (for usefulness) creative ideas for successful new products, processes or services. The results reveal a complex, cyclical and recursive multi-level social process with emphasis on active and social experimentation. Greatest ideational productivity occurs when strong social ties interactively solve problems in an environment of trust -- in particular, when 'Trusted Partners' exchange and refine ideas through a form of shared cognition. Findings will be of great interest to researchers interested in entrepreneurship, social creativity and management team dynamics. Practitioners will benefit from this new insight into the methodologies and practices of successful entrepreneurs.
Keywords
entrepreneurship, online social networks, creativity, distributed cognition, entrepreneurial cognition, entrepreneurial behavior, entrepreneurship, learning; social networks, teams, technology
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Gemmell, Robert M., "The Socio-Cognitive Dynamics of Entrepreneurial Ideation" (2010). Student Scholarship. 493.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/493