The entrepreneur as hero and jester: enacting the entrepreneurial discourse.

Anderson, Alistair R.; Warren, Lorraine

Abstract

Employing a social construction perspective, this article argues that entrepreneurs are uniquely empowered by entrepreneurial discourse to bring about creative destruction. Analysis of the representation of entrepreneurship in the media suggests that entrepreneurs have a distinctive presence in society that is shaped by cultural norms and expectations. These images create and present an entrepreneurial identity. Yet identity has two facets: the general, identified as 'what' but also a distinctive individual identity as 'who'. This article explores the identity play of one flamboyant entrepreneur, Michael O'Leary, to show how he deploys the rhetoric and rationality of entrepreneurial discourse, but shapes it through emotional games to establish his unique entrepreneurial identity. It finds strong evidence that entrepreneurs are culturally stereotypical and that this is amplified by the press, but also how O'Leary employs this typification to engage with the rational and emotional, explaining how this is used for strategic advantage.

Citation

ANDERSON, A.R. and WARREN, L. 2011. The entrepreneur as hero and jester: enacting the entrepreneurial discourse. International small business journal: researching entrepreneurship [online], 29(6), pages 589-609. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242611416417

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 16, 2011
• Online Publication Date: Aug 16, 2011
• Publication Date: Dec 31, 2011
• Deposit Date: Aug 2, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 2, 2012
• Journal: International small business journal: researching entrepreneurship
• Print ISSN: 0266-2426
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-2870
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 589-609
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242611416417
• Keywords: Entrepreneur; Discourse; Narrative; Entrepreneurial identity; Media; Creative destruction
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/743
• Contract Date: Aug 2, 2012