From Surgeries to Startups: The Impact of Cultural Holes on Entrepreneurship in the Medical Profession

Keywords

cultural holes, institutional theory, entrepreneurship, health care, culture, professions

Abstract

his paper examines how cultural holes that exist at the intersection of institutional fields influence the exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities. Through an exploration of physician-founded ambulatory surgery centers in the United States, we examine how the presence of cultural holes presented doctors with alternative beliefs, values, and practices to overcome the cultural constraints around entrepreneurship within the medical profession. In doing so, this study extends cultural entrepreneurship research by bringing cultural holes to the forefront, empirically showing how they facilitate entrepreneurial action and proposing other contexts where cultural holes may affect entrepreneurial actions and outcomes.

Original Publication Citation

"From Surgeries to Startups: The Impact of Cultural Holes on Entrepreneurship in the Medical Profession", Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Volume 80, Pages 137-156, Emerald, 2021.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2021

Publisher

Research in the Sociology of Organizations

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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