Andrew Zimbroff, Jennifer Johnson Jorgensen, James Callan
Entrepreneurs do not operate independent of their surroundings: They are influenced by, and in turn, affect the community in which they operate. The study of entrepreneurship ecosystems is critical from the standpoint of supporting venture creation and entrepreneurial activity. However, most current methods of ecosystem assessment only provide limited insight because they look at multiple ecosystems concurrently. Further, despite general consensus that robust entrepreneurship ecosystems require a diverse set of attributes, assessments frequently measure a single variable at a time. We introduce a mixed methods approach to better understand perceptions within an individual entrepreneurship ecosystem. Using Q methodology, we have participants rank statements about their entrepreneurship ecosystem based on agreement. Data is then supplemented with a survey and qualitative analysis of sentiment towards the ecosystem. Results were analyzed to identify profiles prevalent in each ecosystem. This approach is unique in that it evaluates multiple attributes concurrently, giving a multifaceted perspective of each ecosystem. We applied this method to four distinct ecosystems in Queensland, Australia. Results from this study allowed us to identify profiles within each ecosystem, giving a multifaceted perspective of each location. It also allowed us to directly view similarities and differences among these ecosystems.