Entrepreneurship as connecting; some implications for theorising and practice

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider why entrepreneurship theorising has become fragmented and how we might resolve the research problem. Design/methodology/approach We first examine how entrepreneurial constructs reflect only part of what we “mean” by the construct to argue that we use different social constructions. This explains why theories are fragmented. But we then ask how we might use and reconcile this diversity, pointing to the utility of the constructs as part of a complex whole. We discuss entrepreneurship as a complex adaptive system showing how connections and relatedness help explain the power of entrepreneurship to use and adapt to change. Research Implications Our proposition of entrepreneurial endeavours as a complex adaptive system provides a fresh theoretical platform to examine aspects of entrepreneurship and improve theorising. Practical Implications We argue that this idea of connecting can also be used at the level of practice; how the connections that entrepreneurs use may help to explain some of what goes on in entrepreneurial practice.