Combining cognition and context: entrepreneurial alertness and the microfoundations of entrepreneurial ecosystems

Entrepreneurial alertness (EA) research has made substantial progress in identifying the psychological and organizational antecedents and consequences of EA. However, the interactions between environmental factors and EA are understudied and it is unclear how alertness influences and is shaped by entrepreneurs’ local ecosystems. In this “perspectives” essay, we contend that EA and entrepreneurial ecosystems research could be enriched by greater cross-fertilization. We respond to calls for more focus on the microfoundations of entrepreneurship by exploring the opportunities in research at the interface of EA and entrepreneurial ecosystems. We develop a multi-level framework to explain how EA is not only influenced by entrepreneurial ecosystems but can collectively influence the system-level functioning and leadership of ecosystems. Our framework clarifies how EA is shaped by the social, cultural, and material attributes of ecosystems and, in turn, how EA influences ecosystem attributes (diversity and coherence) and outcomes (resilience and coordination). We explain why it is critical to treat the environment as more than simply a moderating influence on the effects of EA and why it is fruitful for entrepreneurship research to develop a fuller picture of EA’s contextual determinants and outcomes. We conclude by proposing a research agenda that explores the interplay between EA and entrepreneurial ecosystems.