Learning and re-emerging of failed entr...

The Department of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Klagenfurt (Austria) and the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), intend to set up a joint project to analyze the process of entrepreneurial failure from a learning perspective. First, an already successfully conducted study of failed entrepreneurs in Austria will be rolled out also in Slovenia. Failed entrepreneurs in knowledge-intensive industries in Slovenia will be interviewed until we reach data saturation. Findings will be generated using qualitative content analysis and shall subsequently be published in a SSCI-ranked journal. Subsequently, we will shed light on the commonalities and differences between entrepreneurial failure and learning in Austria and Slovenia. From this qualitative cross-case analysis, a second joint SSCI-ranked paper will emerge. Our project will shed further light on entrepreneurial failure und learning. Specifically, we will draw a comprehensive picture of experiencing and learning from failure through investigating this phenomenon from the pre-failure stage until re-engagement, especially in the context of high potential entrepreneurs. As we provide evidence from two different countries, we will be able to reflect on the role of contextual factors on how entrepreneurs manage failure and learn from this critical event. The project partners have set up a team of 10 researchers from the field of entrepreneurship and research methodology (5 per institution; among them 3 full professors, 1senior scientist and 6 researchers/PhD students) who will share their knowledge and experience. This first-time cooperation between the referred university units will not only contribute to research on entrepreneurial failure and learning but also pave the way for subsequent joint activities in the future.