Feeling, thinking, doing: a time sensitive self-regulation framework for exploring entrepreneur journeys

The entrepreneurial journey is uncertain where the role of the individual entrepreneur and how they take effective action, make decisions, and manage their motivations and emotions, in the face of this uncertainty is critical to maximising their own potential and turning their entrepreneurial vision into reality. For each individual entrepreneur the way they construct and manage their entrepreneurial journey will be different and influences their individual performance and wellbeing. This thesis advances a time sensitive self-regulation framework for exploring the idiosyncratic nature of entrepreneur journeys. Entrepreneurship research has often discounted the role of time in the entrepreneurial process by studying entrepreneurship as an act rather than a journey. Using a within-person perspective this study shifts focus from static between-person approaches traditionally used in entrepreneurship research towards more dynamic person-by-situation interactions and processes of within-individual change over time. In order to measure the self-regulation of the entrepreneurs, the thesis builds on research in the computer and health sciences, which has looked at understanding cognitions and behaviours. The entrepreneurial journey is investigated in moment to moment, daily and ongoing contexts as the action environment changes as part of normal work and life. The time-sensitive self-regulation framework providing opportunities to explore interactive and cumulative effects of the changing action environments on the performance and wellbeing of entrepreneurs. This thesis makes a theoretical, methodological, and practical contribution to entrepreneurship research and literature providing insights into the challenges and limitations of using tools such as wearable sensors and experience sampling methodology to explore entrepreneurs' work life settings and idiosyncratic and dynamic journeys.