A Social-Cognitive Model of Entrepreneurship Failure: Beyond Attributional Style

Abstract

Attribution theory (Heider 1958; Kelley 1967) attempts to explain how individuals assign causes for events they both observe and have happen to them. For many first time entrepreneurs, that event may well be failure. The relationship between attribution and failure has been addressed in the entrepreneurship literature (for example, Askim—Lovseth and Feinberg 2012). We extend that work with the argument that people bring a particular belief system (known as a mindset) to the entrepreneurial venture and this belief system leads to specific attributions in the face of negative feedback and/or possible failure. Research proposals to test the model are presented.