Toward a Complexity Science of Entrepreneurship

"Thin" descriptions of entrepreneurial behavior and "thick" descriptions of entrepreneurial practice are untrustworthy, serving science poorly.("Thin descriptions" occur when few variables are used to predict theorized outcomes; "thick descriptions" refer to a multitude of events described in one situation.)A new kind of research is proposed, called "the heterogeneous agent-based computational model," as an alternative which combines both thin- and thick-description research.Agent models permit scientists to determine the causality of typical entrepreneurial settings and to use formalized methods to create theories about effective entrepreneurial practices having high truth values. The equilibrium-bound evolutionary theory and the complexity science engines of order creation are reviewed.It is suggested that a new look at biological order-creation dynamics will show that evolutionary theory is a poor theoretical choice to apply to the study of entrepreneurship.Order-creation science is examined, and its European and American components are described.Entrepreneurial research would benefit from a balance of theoretical ideas and ideas stemming from traditional equilibrium-based research findings, or even methods from bioevolution and bioecology.Entrepreneurship is about order creation not equilibrium, and a variety of theory and modeling approaches that are consistent with modern science are recommended. (CBS)