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Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research pp 99–127Cite as

Entrepreneurial Behavior: Firm Organizing Processes

Part of the International Handbook Series on Entrepreneurship book series (IHSE,volume 5)

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to offer some ideas and evidence about the processes of organization formation. We look at the founding of independent for-profit businesses for insights into the nature of organization formation, in general, realizing that other kinds of organizations, such as voluntary organizations, non-profit organizations, and governmental organizations, may be founded in different ways (Aldrich & Reuf, 2006; Gartner, 1993; Gartner & Gatewood, 1993; Scott, 1997). The focus of research on entrepreneurial behavior is about exploring “how” various activities undertaken by individuals emerge into organizations. Entrepreneurial behavior is a type of organizational behavior (Bird, 1989). Entrepreneurial behavior involves the activities of individuals who are associated with creating new organizations rather than the activities of individuals who are involved with maintaining or changing the operations of on-going established organizations (Gartner et al., 1992; Gartner & Starr, 1993). This chapter does not attempt to investigate the factors and causes that might lead to the initiation of organization formation activities. Discussions of theory and evidence about “why” organizations are likely to be formed have been addressed by a number of scholars (Aldrich & Reuf, 2006; Kirchhoff, 1994; Reynolds, 1992; Reynolds & White, 1997; Reynolds et al., 2000; Schoonhoven & Romanelli, 2001; Storey, 1994), and were also the subject of two special issues of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (1992, 1993).

Keywords

  • Organization Formation
  • Entrepreneurial Activity
  • Nascent Entrepreneur
  • Entrepreneurial Behavior
  • Venture Creation

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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  1. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Clemson University, 345 Sirrine Hall, Clemson, SC, 29634-1345, USA

    William B. Gartner

  2. Catalyst, Inc., New York, NY, USA

    Nancy M. Carter

  3. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Paul D. Reynolds

Authors
  1. William B. Gartner
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  2. Nancy M. Carter
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  3. Paul D. Reynolds
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to William B. Gartner .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Policy, George Mason University, University Drive, Fairfax, 22030, USA

    Zoltan J. Acs

  2. Indiana University, Bloomington, 47405, USA

    David B. Audretsch

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Gartner, W.B., Carter, N.M., Reynolds, P.D. (2010). Entrepreneurial Behavior: Firm Organizing Processes. In: Acs, Z., Audretsch, D. (eds) Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research. International Handbook Series on Entrepreneurship, vol 5. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1191-9_5

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