Beyond the Single-Person, Single-Insight Attribution in Understanding Entrepreneurial Opportunities

TLDR

The article aims to broaden the creativity perspective in entrepreneurship by addressing how opportunities are conceived and attributed. The authors argue that opportunities arise from the continuous development of raw ideas and are shaped by contextual and social factors rather than a single individual. This approach shifts entrepreneurship research away from single‑person, single‑insight attribution toward a broader, socially contextualized view.

Abstract

This article helps develop the creativity perspective within entrepreneurship in two ways. First, it elaborates on the nature of opportunity as a creative product. Rather than viewing opportunities as single insights, it suggests that they are emerging through the continuous shaping and development of (raw) ideas that are acted upon. Second, rather than attributing them to a particular individual, it highlights the contextual and social influences that affect the generation and shaping of ideas. This helps move entrepreneurship research beyond the single–person, single–insight attribution that currently permeates it.