Reimagining entrepreneurship in the Anthropocene through a multispecies relations approach

Abstract

This article extends the entrepreneurship literature by presenting a multispecies lens that attends to the rights, agency, and welfare of nonhumans in the ecological and climate change crises. It responds to calls for rethinking entrepreneurship beyond anthropocentrism, integrating insights from multispecies studies and philosophical ethology. The multispecies lens framework amalgamates humans and nonhumans as equal partners in entrepreneurial endeavors. Based on seven years of field research, including over 200 interviews, participant observation, and archival data, the article uses meta-ethnographic analysis to synthesize findings from four related multispecies studies and develop a line-of-argument analysis. Three themes showcase how multispecies relations can be reconciled in theory and practice: 1) community engagement and environmental education, 2) the interdependency of species through One Welfare, and 3) organizing for intrinsic value over profit. These themes shape the multispecies lens in entrepreneurship framework, offering a foundation for scholars and practitioners to consider nonhumans as equal partners within capitalist endeavors. The article concludes with recommendations for fostering equitable multispecies partnerships in entrepreneurship, if it's not already too late given the dire circumstances of the Anthropocene.