Entrepreneurial Leadership at a Crossroads

16 Pages Posted: 11 Oct 2015

See all articles by John Pisapia

John Pisapia

Florida Atlantic University

Keith Feit

Florida Atlantic University

Date Written: June 6, 2015

Abstract

There is confusion in the extant literature over the connection of entrepreneurial leadership and leadership. Is entrepreneurial leadership a theory or a style? Is its focus on setting direction, gaining commitment, and achieving results? Or, is it focused on influencing others or recognizing and exploiting opportunities?

The paper is structured as follows. First, we situate entrepreneurial leadership within the extant theoretical leadership literature. Then, we present the definitional confusion within the literature and describe three paths advantage seeking, opportunity seeking, and strategic. We argue that what is missing in the extant literature is a research agenda focused on the entrepreneur as a leader who seeks wealth creation by seeing, recognizing, and exploiting opportunities without regard to the resources available, and creating an entrepreneurial culture in their team or organization. We close with research questions that would support the development of this theory.

Keywords: Vertical and Horizontal Leadership, entrepreneurial leadership, entrepreneurship

JEL Classification: L29, M19

Suggested Citation

Pisapia, John and Feit, Keith, Entrepreneurial Leadership at a Crossroads (June 6, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2671949 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2671949

John Pisapia (Contact Author)

Florida Atlantic University ( email )

Educational Leadership
Boca Raton, FL 33431
United States

Keith Feit

Florida Atlantic University ( email )

Boca Raton, FL 33431
United States

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