IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/88389.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Skill variety in entrepreneurship: A literature review and research directions

Author

Listed:
  • Krieger, Alexander
  • Block, Joern
  • Stuetzer, Michael

Abstract

Lazear’s concept of skill variety has been established in entrepreneurship research and is con-sidered an important extension to human capital theory. The literature on skill variety, its de-terminants and its effects on entrepreneurial outcomes is growing. But especially the literature on determinants of skill variety as well as the relation between gender and skill variety is still in its infancy. Thus, this article takes stock of the academic knowledge collected about skill variety, its outcomes and determinants, its measurement alternatives as well as the role of gender. Overall, it can be summarized that skill variety is an important driver of entrepreneur-ship - above all for the entry-decision into entrepreneurship. The literature on skill variety and entrepreneurial success shows mixed evidence. Looking at the determinants of skill variety, extant literature is scarce. The debate whether the acquisition of skill variety is driven by a purposeful investment strategy or by the possession of certain endowment factors (such as risk aversion or a taste for variety) has not come to a conclusion. Regarding the topic of gender and skill variety, the studies under investigation report negative correlations between being female and skill variety. Measurement alternatives of skill variety used in academic research are diversely and sometimes inconsistently used. This makes it difficult to compare the results of different studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Krieger, Alexander & Block, Joern & Stuetzer, Michael, 2018. "Skill variety in entrepreneurship: A literature review and research directions," MPRA Paper 88389, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:88389
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/88389/1/MPRA_paper_88389.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael Stuetzer & Martin Obschonka & Eva Schmitt-Rodermund, 2013. "Balanced skills among nascent entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 93-114, June.
    2. Joachim Wagner, 2006. "Are nascent entrepreneurs 'Jacks-of-all-trades'? A test of Lazear's theory of entrepreneurship with German data," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(20), pages 2415-2419.
    3. Wagner, Joachim, 2005. "Nascent and Infant Entrepreneurs in Germany: Evidence from the Regional Entrepreneurship Monitor (REM)," IZA Discussion Papers 1522, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. James Heckman & Flavio Cunha, 2007. "The Technology of Skill Formation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(2), pages 31-47, May.
    5. Petra Moog & Arndt Werner & Stefan Houweling & Uschi Backes-Gellner, 2015. "The impact of skills, working time allocation and peer effects on the entrepreneurial intentions of scientists," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 493-511, June.
    6. Michael Kremer, 1993. "The O-Ring Theory of Economic Development," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 108(3), pages 551-575.
    7. Douhan, Robin, 2009. "Compulsory Education and Jack-of-all-trades Entrepreneurs," Working Paper Series 797, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    8. Anne Spanjer & Arjen van Witteloostuijn, 2017. "The entrepreneur’s experiential diversity and entrepreneurial performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 141-161, June.
    9. Edward P. Lazear, 2004. "Balanced Skills and Entrepreneurship," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(2), pages 208-211, May.
    10. Thomas Åstebro & Jing Chen & Peter Thompson, 2011. "Stars and Misfits: Self-Employment and Labor Market Frictions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(11), pages 1999-2017, November.
    11. Duchesneau, Donald A. & Gartner, William B., 1990. "A profile of new venture success and failure in an emerging industry," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 5(5), pages 297-312, September.
    12. Åstebro, Thomas & Thompson, Peter, 2011. "Entrepreneurs, Jacks of all trades or Hobos?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 637-649, June.
    13. Aleksander Kucel & Montserrat Vilalta-Bufi, 2016. "Entrepreneurial skills and wage employment," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 37(3), pages 556-588, June.
    14. Daniel Lechmann & Claus Schnabel, 2014. "Are the self-employed really jacks-of-all-trades? Testing the assumptions and implications of Lazear’s theory of entrepreneurship with German data," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 59-76, January.
    15. Flavio Cunha & James J. Heckman & Susanne M. Schennach, 2010. "Estimating the Technology of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skill Formation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 78(3), pages 883-931, May.
    16. Elisabeth Bublitz & Michael Fritsch & Michael Wyrwich, 2015. "Balanced Skills and the City: An Analysis of the Relationship between Entrepreneurial Skill Balance, Thickness, and Innovation," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 91(4), pages 475-508, October.
    17. Silva, Olmo, 2007. "The Jack-of-All-Trades entrepreneur: Innate talent or acquired skill?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 118-123, November.
    18. Diana Boehm & Teresa Hogan, 2014. "‘A jack of all trades’: the role of PIs in the establishment and management of collaborative networks in scientific knowledge commercialisation," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 134-149, February.
    19. J. Wagner, 2003. "Testing Lazear's jack-of-all-trades view of entrepreneurship with German micro data," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(11), pages 687-689.
    20. Chihmao Hsieh & Simon C. Parker & C. Mirjam Praag, 2017. "Risk, balanced skills and entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 287-302, February.
    21. Joern H. Block & Christian O. Fisch & Mirjam van Praag, 2017. "The Schumpeterian entrepreneur: a review of the empirical evidence on the antecedents, behaviour and consequences of innovative entrepreneurship," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 61-95, January.
    22. Enrico Colombatto & Arie Melnik, 2007. "Early Work Experience and the Transition into Entrepreneurship," Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance, Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management, vol. 12(1), pages 9-26, Spring.
    23. Ari Hyytinen & Pekka Ilmakunnas, 2007. "Entrepreneurial Aspirations: Another Form of Job Search?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 63-80, June.
    24. Bruce, Donald, 2002. "Taxes and Entrepreneurial Endurance: Evidence From the Self-Employed," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 55(1), pages 5-24, March.
    25. Cowling, Marc & Taylor, Mark, 2001. "Entrepreneurial Women and Men: Two Different Species?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 167-175, May.
    26. Unger, Jens M. & Rauch, Andreas & Frese, Michael & Rosenbusch, Nina, 2011. "Human capital and entrepreneurial success: A meta-analytical review," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 341-358, May.
    27. Joop Hartog & Mirjam Van Praag & Justin Van Der Sluis, 2010. "If You Are So Smart, Why Aren't You an Entrepreneur? Returns to Cognitive and Social Ability: Entrepreneurs Versus Employees," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(4), pages 947-989, December.
    28. Briana Sell Stenard & Henry Sauermann, 2016. "Educational Mismatch, Work Outcomes, and Entry Into Entrepreneurship," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(4), pages 801-824, August.
    29. Thomas Ã…stebro & Kevyn Yong, 2016. "Invention Quality and Entrepreneurial Earnings: The Role of Prior Employment Variety," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(2), pages 381-400, March.
    30. Daghbashyan, Zara & Hårsman, Björn, 2012. "Entrepreneurship and Arts Related Education," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 295, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    31. Jolanda Hessels & Udo Brixy & Wim Naudé & Thomas Gries, 2014. "Skill Variety, Innovation and New Business Formation," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 14-011/VII, Tinbergen Institute.
    32. Michael Stuetzer & Martin Obschonka & Per Davidsson & Eva Schmitt-Rodermund, 2013. "Where do entrepreneurial skills come from?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(12), pages 1183-1186, August.
    33. Joachim Wagner, 2005. "Nascent Necessity and Opportunity Entrepreneurs in Germany. Evidence from the Regional Entrepreneurship Monitor (REM)," Labor and Demography 0506004, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    34. Marino, Marianna & Parrotta, Pierpaolo & Pozzoli, Dario, 2012. "Does labor diversity promote entrepreneurship?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 116(1), pages 15-19.
    35. Scott Shane, 2000. "Prior Knowledge and the Discovery of Entrepreneurial Opportunities," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(4), pages 448-469, August.
    36. Silke Tegtmeier & Agnieszka Kurczewska & Jantje Halberstadt, 2016. "Are women graduates jacquelines-of-all-trades? Challenging Lazear’s view on entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 77-94, June.
    37. Niels Bosma & Mirjam van Praag & Roy Thurik & Gerrit de Wit, 2004. "The Value of Human and Social Capital Investments for the Business Performance of Startups," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 227-236, October.
    38. Ari Hyytinen & Pekka Ilmakunnas, 2007. "What distinguishes a serial entrepreneur?," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 16(5), pages 793-821, October.
    39. Leon Schjoedt, 2009. "Entrepreneurial Job Characteristics: An Examination of Their Effect on Entrepreneurial Satisfaction1," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 33(3), pages 619-644, May.
    40. Wagner, Joachim, 2004. "Are Young and Small Firms Hothouses for Nascent Entrepreneurs? Evidence from German Micro Data," IZA Discussion Papers 989, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    41. Giuri, Paola & Rullani, Francesco & Torrisi, Salvatore, 2008. "Explaining leadership in virtual teams: The case of open source software," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 305-315, December.
    42. Elisabeth Bublitz & Kristian Nielsen & Florian Noseleit & Bram Timmermans, 2018. "Entrepreneurship, human capital, and labor demand: a story of signaling and matching," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 27(2), pages 269-287.
    43. Daniel W. Elfenbein & Barton H. Hamilton & Todd R. Zenger, 2010. "The Small Firm Effect and the Entrepreneurial Spawning of Scientists and Engineers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(4), pages 659-681, April.
    44. Joachim Wagner, 2005. "Nascent and Infant Entrepreneurs in Germany. Evidence from the Regional Entrepreneurship Monitor (REM)," Working Paper Series in Economics 1, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics.
    45. Davidsson, Per & Honig, Benson, 2003. "The role of social and human capital among nascent entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 301-331, May.
    46. Douglas Cumming & Uwe Walz & Jochen Christian Werth, 2016. "Entrepreneurial Spawning: Experience, Education, and Exit," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 51(4), pages 507-525, November.
    47. Backes-Gellner, Uschi & Moog, Petra, 2013. "The disposition to become an entrepreneur and the jacks-of-all-trades in social and human capital," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 55-72.
    48. Martin Obschonka & Kai Hakkarainen & Kirsti Lonka & Katariina Salmela-Aro, 2017. "Entrepreneurship as a twenty-first century skill: entrepreneurial alertness and intention in the transition to adulthood," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 487-501, March.
    49. Spanjer, Anne & van Witteloostuijn, Arjen, 2017. "The entrepreneur's experiential diversity and entrepreneurial performance," Other publications TiSEM c613c681-b545-4660-ad6a-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    50. Elisabeth Bublitz & Florian Noseleit, 2014. "The skill balancing act: when does broad expertise pay off?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 17-32, January.
    51. Strohmeyer, Robert & Tonoyan, Vartuhi & Jennings, Jennifer E., 2017. "Jacks-(and Jills)-of-all-trades: On whether, how and why gender influences firm innovativeness," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 498-518.
    52. Dimo Dimov, 2007. "From Opportunity Insight to Opportunity Intention: The Importance of Person–Situation Learning Match," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(4), pages 561-583, July.
    53. Evans, David S & Leighton, Linda S, 1989. "Some Empirical Aspects of Entrepreneurship," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(3), pages 519-535, June.
    54. Verheul, Ingrid & Thurik, Roy, 2001. "Start-Up Capital: "Does Gender Matter?"," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 329-345, June.
    55. Dirk Oberschachtsiek, 2012. "The experience of the founder and self-employment duration: a comparative advantage approach," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 1-17, July.
    56. Daniel Lechmann & Claus Schnabel, 2012. "Why is there a gender earnings gap in self-employment? A decomposition analysis with German data," IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 1(1), pages 1-25, December.
    57. Martin, Bruce C. & McNally, Jeffrey J. & Kay, Michael J., 2013. "Examining the formation of human capital in entrepreneurship: A meta-analysis of entrepreneurship education outcomes," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 211-224.
    58. Stuetzer, Michael & Goethner, Maximilian & Cantner, Uwe, 2012. "Do balanced skills help nascent entrepreneurs to make progress in the venture creation process?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 117(1), pages 186-188.
    59. Joern Block & Karsten Kohn & Danny Miller & Katrin Ullrich, 2015. "Necessity entrepreneurship and competitive strategy," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 37-54, January.
    60. Parker, Simon C, 2009. "Why do small firms produce the entrepreneurs?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 484-494, June.
    61. Bruce, Donald, 2002. "Taxes and Entrepreneurial Endurance: Evidence from the Self-Employed," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 55(N. 1), pages 5-24, March.
    62. Dirk Oberschachtsiek, 2013. "Human Capital Diversity and Entrepreneurship. Results from the regional individual skill dispersion nexus on self-employment activity," Working Paper Series in Economics 289, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics.
    63. Lazear, Edward P., 2012. "Leadership: A personnel economics approach," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 92-101.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shahid, Pirzada Syed Rizwan, 2023. "Founder's Human Capital and the Entrepreneurial Process Duration," OSF Preprints yf6mg, Center for Open Science.
    2. Björn Hårsman & Lars-Göran Mattsson, 2021. "Analyzing the returns to entrepreneurship by a modified Lazear model," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1875-1892, December.
    3. Márton Gosztonyi & Csákné Filep Judit, 2022. "Profiling (Non-)Nascent Entrepreneurs in Hungary Based on Machine Learning Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Lars Hornuf & Matthias Mattusch, 2024. "Fintech Startups in Germany: Firm Failure, Funding Success, and Innovation Capacity," CESifo Working Paper Series 11301, CESifo.
    5. Manuel Castriotta & Michela Loi & Elona Marku & Luca Naitana, 2019. "What’s in a name? Exploring the conceptual structure of emerging organizations," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 118(2), pages 407-437, February.
    6. Alexander Krieger & Michael Stuetzer & Martin Obschonka & Katariina Salmela-Aro, 2022. "The growth of entrepreneurial human capital: origins and development of skill variety," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 645-664, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pankaj C. Patel & Yoav Ganzach, 2019. "Returns to balance in cognitive skills for the self-employed: evidence from 18 countries," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 89-109, January.
    2. Elisabeth Bublitz & Florian Noseleit, 2014. "The skill balancing act: when does broad expertise pay off?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 17-32, January.
    3. Michael Stuetzer & Martin Obschonka & Eva Schmitt-Rodermund, 2013. "Balanced skills among nascent entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 93-114, June.
    4. Alexander Krieger & Michael Stuetzer & Martin Obschonka & Katariina Salmela-Aro, 2022. "The growth of entrepreneurial human capital: origins and development of skill variety," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 645-664, August.
    5. Elisabeth Bublitz & Michael Fritsch & Michael Wyrwich, 2015. "Balanced Skills and the City: An Analysis of the Relationship between Entrepreneurial Skill Balance, Thickness, and Innovation," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 91(4), pages 475-508, October.
    6. Daniel Lechmann & Claus Schnabel, 2014. "Are the self-employed really jacks-of-all-trades? Testing the assumptions and implications of Lazear’s theory of entrepreneurship with German data," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 59-76, January.
    7. Thomas Ã…stebro & Kevyn Yong, 2016. "Invention Quality and Entrepreneurial Earnings: The Role of Prior Employment Variety," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(2), pages 381-400, March.
    8. Li-Wei Chen & Peter Thompson, 2016. "Skill Balance and Entrepreneurship Evidence from Online Career Histories," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(2), pages 289-305, March.
    9. Rosendahl Huber, Laura & Sloof, Randolph & Van Praag, Mirjam & Parker, Simon C., 2020. "Diverse cognitive skills and team performance: A field experiment based on an entrepreneurship education program," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 569-588.
    10. Rosendahl Huber, Laura & Sloof, Randolph & van Praag, Mirjam C., 2014. "Jacks-of-All-Trades? The Effect of Balanced Skills on Team Performance," IZA Discussion Papers 8237, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Nadia Simoes & Nuno Crespo & Sandrina B. Moreira, 2016. "Individual Determinants Of Self-Employment Entry: What Do We Really Know?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 783-806, September.
    12. Stuetzer, Michael & Obschonka, Martin & Audretsch, David B. & Wyrwich, Michael & Rentfrow, Peter J. & Coombes, Mike & Shaw-Taylor, Leigh & Satchell, Max, 2016. "Industry structure, entrepreneurship, and culture: An empirical analysis using historical coalfields," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 52-72.
    13. Laffineur, Catherine & Dubard Barbosa, Saulo & Fayolle, Alain & Montmartin, Benjamin, 2020. "The unshackled entrepreneur: Occupational determinants of entrepreneurial effort," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(5).
    14. Alina Sorgner & Michael Fritsch, 2018. "Entrepreneurial career paths: occupational context and the propensity to become self-employed," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 129-152, June.
    15. Colombo, Massimo G. & Piva, Evila, 2020. "Start-ups launched by recent STEM university graduates: The impact of university education on entrepreneurial entry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(6).
    16. Silke Tegtmeier & Agnieszka Kurczewska & Jantje Halberstadt, 2016. "Are women graduates jacquelines-of-all-trades? Challenging Lazear’s view on entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 77-94, June.
    17. Jolanda Hessels & Udo Brixy & Wim Naudé & Thomas Gries, 2014. "Skill Variety, Innovation and New Business Formation," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 14-011/VII, Tinbergen Institute.
    18. Elisabeth Bublitz & Kristian Nielsen & Florian Noseleit & Bram Timmermans, 2018. "Entrepreneurship, human capital, and labor demand: a story of signaling and matching," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 27(2), pages 269-287.
    19. Björn Hårsman & Lars-Göran Mattsson, 2021. "Analyzing the returns to entrepreneurship by a modified Lazear model," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1875-1892, December.
    20. Sundriyal, Vivek Kumar & Gabrielsson, Jonas, 2024. "The employment consequences of founding an incorporated business among STEM founders: Evidence from Swedish microdata," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Skill variety; Balanced Skills; Literature Review;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:88389. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.