EE Characteristics: Onset

Existence of an enabler does not equate perception or recognition, so alertness (Tang, Kacmar, & Busenitz, 2012), knowledge (Shane, 2000), or even luck (Denrell et al., 2014) related to the identification of the onset of external enablers have strong implications for their timely adoption into new venture ideas and for these ventures’ eventual outcomes. For example, how enablers first come into being influences the feasibility of proactive behavior and the attainment of first- (or later-) mover advantages (Lieberman & Montgomery, 1998). This makes two dimensions of onset—suddenness and predictability— conceptually useful in theorizing about external enablers and their recognition by agents of new venture creation.

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• Not all enablers qualify as sudden environmental jolts (Bradley, 2015) or other punctuated events; some, like climate change and most social movements, develop in a slow and measured manner. Hence, suddenness is one strategically relevant dimension of variance.

• Onset can also vary according to its predictability, that is, the extent to which an enabler’s presence and influence can be anticipated (Miller & Lin, 2015)

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(Davidsson et al., 2020 AMP)