Navigating multiple identities : identity work of creative entrepreneurs in the founding stage

摘要: The contemporary view of identity in entrepreneurship accepts its dynamic nature and multidimensional structure. Some scholars have illustrated how tensions may stimulate work different settings, but they do not offer a satisfactory understanding multiple identities an entrepreneur interact to promote work. One setting where is prolific the initial stages venture when individuals recently transitioned into entrepreneurship. However, detailed accounts struggles this stage has found favour literature. More specifically, studies investigating conflict coherence entrepreneurs provide derived from complexity existence identities. question therefore arises - How engage response demands caused by identities? To address research gap I study that started creative industries. founding chosen facilitate observation intense work, while industries as extreme facilitates our sub-identities entrepreneur. Though two-year qualitative longitudinal 15 entrepreneurs, new insight light Drawing on my analysis data, present three articles. In first, examine process through staged model, propose routes tactics journey disruption equilibrium. Here, recognise impact entrepreneurs’ affects process. second article, analyse conflicts between specific are normalised dirty context And finally article more rounded discussion types trigger for examining self-defined critical incidents entrepreneurs. Here discuss role sensemaking internalising impacts these find single incident can impacts. examination concluded with contributions thesis towards current gaps literature identified scholars.