Why context matters: The influence of embeddedness in multiple communities

Abstract

Embeddedness in a context provides entrepreneurs with opportunities and sets boundaries to their actions. However, little is known about how and why multiple contexts and their associated logics of practice affect entrepreneurs. We address this research gap by exploring the lived experiences of 10 cultural entrepreneurs based in rural communities. Our findings highlight the overlapping nature of social fields, which can cause difficulties for entrepreneurs, as they seek to comply with the conflicting expectations of multiple communities. We discover that cultural entrepreneurs pursue acceptance by adopting strategies which allow them to mask unconventional personal traits and practices. Thus, our study highlights a concealed element to entrepreneurial behaviour. Furthermore, we reveal that embeddedness in certain fields, such as creative communities, can lead entrepreneurs to share their various resources with industry members to help one another and to advance the cultural field as a whole. Participants consider such practices a social responsibility and a task that is passed from one generation to the next. As such, their behaviours towards potential competitors are more supportive than might be assumed based on existing research. We argue that this difference is a consequence of field-specific rules and norms, which can override conventional market-driven logics.