Cultural entrepreneurship – as well as the cultural entrepreneur (e.g. Klamer 2011; Swedberg 2006; DiMaggio 1982) – has become a topic of high interest in debates around innovation and growth in the context of the so-called creative industries (Florida, 2012). Cultural Eentrepreneurs are seen as the driving force behind the dynamics of the creative industries (Leadbeater and Oakley, 1999). They offer products and services of cultural, artistic or entertainment value (Caves, 2000).
Assumed spill-over effects are thought to boost the capacity for innovation in other industries and to support overall economic development and wealth creation. Despite some similarities between entrepreneurship in the creative industries and other, more mainstream industries, there are also some striking differences (e.g. Townley et al., 2009; Lounsbury and Glynn 2001). For example, firms in the creative industries such as design, music, multimedia or the arts often remain small and many disappear from the market within five years of founding.
At the same time, cultural entrepreneurs are often seen as “pioneers”: for example, their reliance on (social) network-structure (e.g. Konrad 2013) and cluster-structures or with respect to their use of information technology in production processes (e.g. Jones, 2010). Cultural entrepreneurs and the creative industries more generally, are considered “trend setters” for other industries. The idea of creative destruction and creative renewal are not only characteristic of the cultural product but also of the organisational forms and structures (e.g. Lampel et al. 2000; DeFilippi et al., 2007).
The aim of this special issue is to take stock of the current research and knowledge on cultural entrepreneurship and to identify future trends. The overriding questions guiding this special issue are:
- What can the field of entrepreneurship learn from studying cultural entrepreneurship?
- In what sense are cultural entrepreneurs “pioneers” for the field of entrepreneurship?
The special issue is particularly interested in attracting empirical papers (both qualitative and quantitative) that outline the consequences of their research for a better understanding of cultural entrepreneurship and the field of entrepreneurship more generally.
References:
Caves, R. E. (2000). Creative industries: Contracts between art and commerce (No. 20). Harvard University Press.
DeFillippi, R., Grabher, G., & Jones, C. (2007). Introduction to paradoxes of creativity:
managerial and organizational challenges in the cultural economy. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28(5), 511–521.
DiMaggio, P.J. (1982). Cultural entrepreneurship in nineteenth-century Boston: the creation
of an organizational base for high culture in America. Media Culture and Society, 4, 33–50.
Florida, R. L. (2012). The rise of the creative class: revisited. Basic Books.
Jones, C. (2010). Finding a place in history: Symbolic and social networks in creative careers
and collective memory. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(5), 726–748.
Klamer, A. (2011). Cultural entrepreneurship. The Review of Austrian Economics, 24(2), 141-156.
Konrad, E.D. (2013). Cultural Entrepreneurship: The Impact of Social Networking on
Success. Creativity & Innovation Management, 22(3), 307–319.
Lampel, J., Lant, T., & Shamsie, J. (2000). Balancing Act: Learning from Organizing
Practices in Cultural Industries. Organization Science, 11(3), 263–269.
Leadbeater, C., & Oakley, K. (1999). The Independents: Britain's new cultural entrepreneurs. Demos.
Lounsbury, M. & Glynn. M.A. (2001): Cultural entrepreneurship: stories, legitimacy, and the
acquisition of resources. Strategic Management Journal, 22(6/7), 545–564.
Swedberg, R. (2006). The cultural entrepreneur and the creative industries: beginning in
Vienna. Journal of Cultural Economics, 30, 243–261.
Townley, B., Beech, N., & McKinlay, A. (2009). Managing in the creative industries: managing the motley crew. Human Relations, 62(7), 939-962.
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Structure and tools: Which organisation and management forms are characteristic for cultural entrepreneurs? For example: how do their business models differ from business models in other industries? Which leadership practices are to be found? What other management tools are common among cultural entrepreneurs in the creative industries?
- Founding and growth motives: Why do artists and creative professionals decide to found a business (opportunity entrepreneurs or necessity entrepreneurs)? Which motives guide their decision and what do alternative career paths look like? How do they decide about firm growth or non-growth? What are their preferences and (scaling) strategies for growth? How do they secure a sustainable growth? If there is no growth strategy, what are other non-growth strategies and practices?
- Identities and work practices: How does research on artistic identities and creative work practices inform our knowledge on cultural entrepreneurship? How are cultural entrepreneurs enabled (or hindered) by their professional self-concept and routine work practices?
We welcome papers of various theoretical backgrounds, including economics, sociology, psychology, career-, gender- and critical management studies. Submissions to this special issue should be original and creative.
Important Dates
Manuscript submission: 31 January, 2015
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