The dark side of entrepreneurship: An exploratory conceptual approach

Abstract

As Baumol (1990) stated, the process of entrepreneurship can be productive or destructive. Different positions were investigated, and one of the least explored was the “dark side of entrepreneurship” (DSE) as a construct. We look through databases and search engines, academic journals, repositories, archives, and other collections. Findings suggest many perspectives remain for research, starting with clarification and more precise definitions, not only from the construct itself but also the factors or forces that drive this dark side. We propose a starting point to conceptualize the logic behind the so-called dark side of entrepreneurship, and a conceptual model of two dimensions (entrepreneur and context) was developed. The results suggest both have constant interaction and feedback, influence themselves iteratively, a systemic position, where researchers are encouraged not only to test the conceptual model further, but also to expand it to more research areas, such as organizational studies, ethics, innovation, or technology.