The Retreat from the Ambiguities of Entrepreneurship: A study of Business Incubators

Sammanfattning: Title: The retreat from the ambiguities of entrepreneurship: A study of Business Incubators Submission date: May 22th 2013 Course: BUSN49 Degree Project in Managing People Knowledge and Change- Master Level Authors: Rasmus Jonsson & Emilia Olandersson Supervisor: Kate Sullivan, Department of Business Administration, School of Economics and Management, Lund University & Stefan Sveningsson, Department of Business Administration, School of Economics and Management, Lund University. Purpose: Our purpose is to gain a greater understanding of business incubators, through addressing the missing focus on tenants‘ experiences of business incubators. Methodology: The research is based on an interview study of a business incubator located, in the south of Sweden. The research was conducted from an interpretative perspective, but during the process we also took on a critical stance. Research Question: How do tenants experience being part of a business incubator? Findings: The tenants at the studied business incubator experienced the resources provided by the business incubator as having an ambiguity reducing effect, through structure and submission. Moreover, due to the business incubator promotion of a certain way of being, the tenants may have put more of their real-self into the entrepreneurial process and thus contributing to a self-disciplining effect. Originality/value: The study adds nuances to existing theories and contributes with insights for practitioners regarding how to create business incubators that better fits the needs of the tenants. By applying an interpretative and critical perspective we also put the tenants‘ experiences in center. Keywords: Business Incubators, Entrepreneurs, Resources, Structure and Ambiguity.