When Positive Community Spread Is the New Normal: A Multilevel Theory of Community Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Our global economic system has contributed to growing prosperity for some communities, while disrupting the economic and social well-being of others. Both rural and urban communities face depletion as businesses relocate in search of higher profits elsewhere. We draw on a growing body of work from entrepreneurship and organizations research, along with insights from psychology, geography, and sustainable community development, to develop a multilevel model of community entrepreneurship that examines the processes by which community entrepreneurs and place-based enterprises, as key actors, reverse the downward spiral of depletion. We develop the concept of entrepreneurial energy – which we define as an ongoing dynamic vitality directed toward value creation and transformative change – as a central mechanism that enables these actors to work with community members to overcome significant barriers and transform depleted places. Our multilevel process model provides a pathway towards a new positive reality in which empowered, resilient communities are sites for addressing global challenges and fostering human and ecological well-being. In doing so, we draw researchers’ attention to the importance of studying community entrepreneurship as a collaborative, bottom-up process, involving individual, organizational and community actors, while deepening our understanding of how to develop resilient communities in an age of disruption.