Widening The Lens: Antecedents to Perspective Taking Among Corporate Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Taking the perspective of others is a crucial ability to identify the best entrepreneurial opportunities. In corporate entrepreneurship, constant effort goes into training and motivating employees to participate in entrepreneurial activities. What makes employees in corporate entrepreneurship better at perspective taking? How can employees widen their lens to better see others’ viewpoints? Here I complement the cognitive work on perspective taking by focusing on possible antecedents to perspective taking in corporate entrepreneurship. I specifically focus on employee cognitive adaptability and beneficiary contact to provide the knowledge and motivation, respectively, that has been suggested as crucial to initiating entrepreneurial action. Additionally, I suggest that perspective taking is hindered when employees experience job burnout. I also investigate whether perspective taking among corporate entrepreneurs enhances their opportunity identification. I collect primary data in two separate samples, employing survey techniques with a randomized intervention to investigate these questions. The results of my study start important conversations about the central role that perspective taking can play in corporate entrepreneurship.