Entrepreneurs’ Prospective Sensemaking: Path of a Magical Realist

• Author / Creator

  Ganzin, Maxim

• This dissertation seeks to explore how entrepreneurs engage in prospective sensemaking and what role their arational beliefs play in it. I investigate the implications of prospective sensemaking on opportunity identification and risk management. While the current literature on entrepreneurship focuses on strategic approaches to understanding entrepreneurial behavior, I loosen the focus on strategy and also give attention to the role of spirituality, enchantment and magic that exist as an organizational phenomenon in counterpoint to the often over articulated economically rational views within modern organizations. I draw on the concept of magical realism as part of the research study and suggest that a magical realist perception of reality or magical realist cognitive orientation exists among entrepreneurs. I am looking into experiences of arational phenomena by entrepreneurs or their arational beliefs, and the way the arational and rational aspects of life are reconciled in the building and enacting of successful futures.
  My focal research question asks: how do entrepreneurs use a magical realist perception in future oriented sensemaking? And more specifically, in Study 1, how do different temporal orientations in sensemaking affect entrepreneurs’ perception of risk and uncertainty? And in Study 2, how does future-oriented sensemaking draw upon spirituality to mitigate risk, reduce uncertainty and inspire the confidence of external stakeholders in the absence of a rational historical context? In an attempt to answer these question I conduct a thematic analysis of 30 business biographies (Study 1) and of 40 semi-structured interviews collected from entrepreneurs located mainly in Edmonton, Alberta (Study 2). The findings reveal that entrepreneurs use their magical realist perception to project successful futures for their companies. A magical realist perception helps them to deal with risk and uncertainty within the volatile world of start-up business. They are able to find inner peace, construct safe future, and most importantly, keep on going despite difficulties and setbacks.
  This research makes three significant contributions to organizational theory. First, it shows that in the absence of past successes and proved organizational practices, entrepreneurs can use a magical realist perception and draw on arational beliefs and experiences to construct a triumphant future. Second, a magical realist perception helps entrepreneurs to cope with anxiety and insecurity associated with risk and uncertainty. Third, entrepreneurs with a magical realist perception create such perception through deep integration of their spirituality and religious belief into their work life. Thus, the rational and arational spheres of life become indistinguishable for them.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Narrative Analysis
  • Sensemaking
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Magical Realism

• Graduation date

  Fall 2019

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-kpdk-yj35

• License

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