信息加工视角下创业者的认知变革过程——一项多案例研究

作为创业研究的新兴流派,创业认知研究关注创业行为背后的认知机制。已有研究显示,创业者能否根据环境变化进行认知变革,是其新企业能否成功适应环境的关键。虽然有学者从信息加工视角对创业者认知形成与变革等议题做出相关探讨,现有文献对创业者认知变革过程却缺乏相对完整的解释逻辑。鉴于此,文章基于信息加工理论构建了"环境扫描-信息加工-认知变革"的概念框架,运用多案例研究方法,对创业者识别和利用机会过程中的认知变革进行了经验探究。研究发现：第一,模式识别是创业者信息加工的重要组成部分,并与相关决策情境因素共同影响信息加工方式的选择;第二,基于不同模式识别的信息加工会对创业者认知变革产生差异化影响。几个研究命题有助于从模式识别和信息加工方式两个互补的方面揭示创业者及其新企业适应环境的认知机制,对于创业决策理论与实践均有重要启发意义。

A Multi-case Study on Entrepreneurial Cognitive Change Process through the Lens of Information Processing

Entrepreneurial cognition has become a promising school in entrepreneurship research domain. It focuses on the underlying cognitive mechanism of entrepreneurial behavior. Existing literature points out that the adaptability of a new venture depends on whether its entrepreneur could successfully change his/her cognition or not. Information processing theory is used as an important lens to inquire into the topic of how entrepreneurial cognition is formed and changed. While insightful, extant literature could only provide partial explanation to answer how entrepreneurial cognition is changed empirically. Building on the literature of information processing (especially the dual processing theory) and entrepreneurial cognition, this paper first constructed a conceptual framework of "environment scanning-information processing-cognitive change", and then a multi-case study was used to uncover the process of how entrepreneurial cognition is changed during the process of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition and exploitation. Tentative conclusion was drawn as follows. First, pattern recognition is an important part of entrepreneurial information processing. Together with some relevant context factors, pattern recognition influences the use of different information processing approaches, i.e., heuristic processing and analytical processing. Second, information processing based on different pattern recognition influences entrepreneurial cognitive change differently. Five propositions were proposed to reveal the process and underlying cognitive mechanism of the adaptive behaviors of the entrepreneur and his/her new venture during the process of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition and exploitation. By providing explanation to the cognitive change process and mechanism from two aspects, i.e., pattern recognition and information processing, this study provides insights both for theory development in entrepreneurial decision domain and for entrepreneur's references.