The Field of Entrepreneurship: Is It Growing or Just Getting Bigger?

Interest in entrepreneurship appears to be growing rapidly. Statements by government officials, business leaders, and professors of entrepreneurship reflect the opinion that entrepreneurial activity in both smaller and larger organizations will help the nation to re-energize its economic development and regain its competitive edge in world markets. In academia, this interest in entrepreneurship has resulted in a significant increase in the number of entrepreneurship courses, programs, centers, and endowed chairs or professorships. Economists might describe the current situation in academic entrepreneurship as one in which the demand exceeds the supply: classes are being closed out, requests for additional courses are not being satisfied, and faculty positions are going unfilled. Marketing people would describe the condition as a growing demand that has barely penetrated the market place. They would delight in describing the uniqueness of the market niche. However, they would also have concerns about the factors that could cause the window of opportunity to close. Strategic managers would have concerns about the ability to manage growth. Entrepreneurs might view it as an opportunity to be pursued regardless of the availability of resources, and efficiency-oriented managers would suggest that the dilemma should be solved by "working smarter" rather than harder. The field of entrepreneurship has not only gotten bigger, but indications are that it will continue to expand. The queston is: Is the field growing or just getting bigger? This essay is not intended either to bemoan the inadequacies of the field or to boast about its accomplishments. It is intended to delineate some of the factors that may impede growth if not addressed, to describe some of the current corrective actions underway, and to offer suggestions for improvement in other areas. Research in Entrepreneurship With regard to research in the field of entrepreneurship, economists would describe the situation as being in disequilibrium; marketeers would say it is fragmented; strategic managers would be concerned about direction; organizational behavioralists would be concerned about communications; and investors might wonder about the timing of a return on their investment. Although interest is high in entrepreneurship and media articles abound, it appears that research in the area could be described as one of academia's best-kept secrets. One needs only to referee papers for a meeting or serve on an editorial review board to accept this premise. This situation prevails despite the publication of the annual volume Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research (since 1981), the Journal of Business Venturing (since 1985), and the Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurship and the Art and Science of Entrepreneurship (in 1980 and 1985). In addition, a number of other journals, including the Journal of Small Business Management, publish research on both small business and entrepreneurship. Although most researchers would agree that more has been learned about entrepreneurship since 1980 than in the previous 25 years, many of the papers which cite entrepreneurship research do so for articles published decades ago. When reading the literature searches, one sometimes wonders whether any research has been conducted since Schumpeter, McClelland, or Collins and Moore. The lack of adequate literature searches has also resulted in many attempts to reinvent the wheel or to use tools or technology that have been obsolete for a number of years. Are some new researchers in entrepreneurship not aware of previous research? Or don't they care about it? Perhaps they take the approach that if it can't be published elsewhere, add the words "new," "emerging," "small," or "growth," and it will be published in the entrepreneurship literature. The number of papers being written and submitted in the field has increased substantially. …