Intuition and entrepreneurial success
Intuition is a multidisciplinary notion theorized in philosophy, psychology and anthropology. Established entrepreneurs emphasized the role of intuition for business success, yet, intuition is a rather recent topic in entrepreneurial literature. What is the social representation of intuition in the field of entrepreneurship ? What is its relationship with decision-making and behavior of novice and established entrepreneurs ? Social representations influence collective perceptions regarding the desirability and feasibility of entrepreneurship. Media play a central role in the development and circulation of social representations. We studied the social representation of intuition in the French press. We analyzed 700 articles within the database Lexis Nexis, between 5 August 2003 and 5 August 2012. Using discourse analysis, we classified and studied these articles to identify the core elements of the image of intuition in the French public sphere – its occurrence contexts, its sources of enunciation, and its perceived impact on entrepreneurs and their businesses. Our findings have theoretical and practical implications for the development of entrepreneurship sensitization campaigns, as well as for entrepreneurial support and education.