Understanding entrepreneurial decision-making by objectivizing subtle cues

ABSTRACT

We propose a theory for entrepreneurial decision-making based on classic grounded theory covering data of a total of 42 entrepreneurs. Objectivizing subtle cues, refers to “the process of discovering, following and making use of internal and external subtle cues (conscious emotions, thoughts, perceptions and information).” This paper presents a redefinition, re-contextualization and reconceptualization of entrepreneurial decision-making, intuition, and intuiting processes. It also examines subtle cues as expressions of the inner-world dimension of spirituality. It encompasses both rational and intuitive processes. By developing the concept of objectivizing subtle cues, we show that (expert) intuition is not the only type of intuition that entrepreneurs use, that cues can be triggered internally as well as externally, and that this type of intuition can be used even if the environment is unstable. Furthermore, objectivization of subtle cues is not necessarily part of quick decision-making, and entrepreneurs can be nonconscious and conscious about these cues.

KEYWORDS:

• Intuition
• entrepreneurial decision-making
• intuiting
• subtle cue
• entrepreneur
• inner-life

Acknowledgments

During our research project, we have received feedback from scholars at several platforms. We would like to mention one of such platforms explicitly as the detailed input we have received from the professors have influenced our direction which resulted in this paper. Platform: Cognition in the Rough roundtable session at the Academy of Management Meeting in 2015. Prof. John Carroll is the Gordon Kaufman Professor of Management, a Professor of Organization Studies and Engineering Systems, and the Co-Director of the Lean Advancement Initiative at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Dr. Miller faculty member at University of Houston, active member of the Academy of Management and the Strategic Management Society.

Furthermore, we would like to thank the editor and reviewers of the JMSR for their valuable and encouraging feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.