TY - JOUR

T1 - Identity, identity formation and identity work in entrepreneurship

T2 - conceptual developments and empirical applications

AU - Leitch, Claire Marie

AU - Harrison, Richard

N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Entrepreneurship and Regional Development on 20/01/2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/08985626.2016.1155740

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - This paper reviews the current status of research into entrepreneurial identity. Identities – individual and organisational – can potentially serve as powerful elements that both drive and are shaped by entrepreneurial actions. Identity is, of course, a complex construct with multidisciplinary roots and consequentially a range of conceptual meanings and theoretical roles associated with it. Building on a framework for identifying schools of thought in the social sciences, we highlight the need for more critical studies of entrepreneurial identity that recognise, first, that entrepreneurial identity is a dynamic and fluid rather than (relatively) fixed and unchanging feature, and second, that research attention should shift from the analysis of identity per se (the identity-as-entity position) to the identity work processes through which entrepreneurial identities are shaped and formed (the identity-as-process position). Following a summary of the key contributions of the five papers included in this Special Issue we conclude with some pointers for future research.

AB - This paper reviews the current status of research into entrepreneurial identity. Identities – individual and organisational – can potentially serve as powerful elements that both drive and are shaped by entrepreneurial actions. Identity is, of course, a complex construct with multidisciplinary roots and consequentially a range of conceptual meanings and theoretical roles associated with it. Building on a framework for identifying schools of thought in the social sciences, we highlight the need for more critical studies of entrepreneurial identity that recognise, first, that entrepreneurial identity is a dynamic and fluid rather than (relatively) fixed and unchanging feature, and second, that research attention should shift from the analysis of identity per se (the identity-as-entity position) to the identity work processes through which entrepreneurial identities are shaped and formed (the identity-as-process position). Following a summary of the key contributions of the five papers included in this Special Issue we conclude with some pointers for future research.

KW - entrepreneurial identity

KW - individual identity

KW - social identity

KW - organisational identity

KW - identity work

KW - process

U2 - 10.1080/08985626.2016.1155740

DO - 10.1080/08985626.2016.1155740

M3 - Editorial

SP - 177

EP - 190

JO - Entrepreneurship and Regional Development

JF - Entrepreneurship and Regional Development

SN - 0898-5626

ER -