A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä
Identity work of science-based entrepreneurs in Finland and in Russia
Tekijät: Karhunen Päivi, Olimpieva Irina, Hytti Ulla
Kustantaja: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
Julkaisuvuosi: 2017
Journal: Entrepreneurship and Regional Development
Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimi: ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Lehden akronyymi: ENTREP REGION DEV
Vuosikerta: 29
Numero: 5-6
Aloitussivu: 544
Lopetussivu: 566
Sivujen määrä: 23
ISSN: 0898-5626
eISSN: 1464-5114
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2017.1313318
Verkko-osoite: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08985626.2017.1313318
Tiivistelmä
This paper investigates the identity work of science-based entrepreneurs in two very different country contexts: Finland and Russia. Building on the literature investigating role identities, we first analyse the identification of individuals with the roles of a scientist and an entrepreneur; and second, how individuals manage the boundary between these two roles. Methodologically, we take a narrative approach, which regards life stories as identity constructions. Our empirical data consist of 23 biographical interviews with science-based entrepreneurs that are inductively analysed. Our findings show that the Russian informants considered being a scientist a salient part of their self-identification, distanced themselves from the role of an entrepreneur, and set discursive boundaries to segment the two roles. For the Finnish informants, identification with the professional roles as a scientist or as an entrepreneur was less salient for the personal identity as they make a clear distinction between what one does' and who one is'. They also view the two roles as integrated rather than segmented, and have no significant need to justify the border-crossing between them. Our contribution is in demonstrating how science-based entrepreneurs' identity work is influenced by importance and meanings attached to different work roles, and how these are contextualised.
This paper investigates the identity work of science-based entrepreneurs in two very different country contexts: Finland and Russia. Building on the literature investigating role identities, we first analyse the identification of individuals with the roles of a scientist and an entrepreneur; and second, how individuals manage the boundary between these two roles. Methodologically, we take a narrative approach, which regards life stories as identity constructions. Our empirical data consist of 23 biographical interviews with science-based entrepreneurs that are inductively analysed. Our findings show that the Russian informants considered being a scientist a salient part of their self-identification, distanced themselves from the role of an entrepreneur, and set discursive boundaries to segment the two roles. For the Finnish informants, identification with the professional roles as a scientist or as an entrepreneur was less salient for the personal identity as they make a clear distinction between what one does' and who one is'. They also view the two roles as integrated rather than segmented, and have no significant need to justify the border-crossing between them. Our contribution is in demonstrating how science-based entrepreneurs' identity work is influenced by importance and meanings attached to different work roles, and how these are contextualised.
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