Contextualizing entrepreneurship in the boundaryless career

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the transition into entrepreneurship isrnconstructed in the context of the boundaryless career. The paper focuses on a particular type of careerrntransition driven by dismissal or unemployment.rnDesign/methodology/approach - The research material is collected in life-story interviews withrnthree Finnish female owner-managers. In the study, a narrative analysis of the career move intornentrepreneurship is conducted.rnFindings - The results demonstrate how the concept of the boundaryless career and career discoursernas such, and the personal career history and the larger employment setting in particular, are applied inrnmaking sense of the transition into entrepreneurship. The significance of dismissal or unemploymentrnis not uniform, but is dependent on the participant's interpretation of the boundaryless career andrnwork-based security. Entrepreneurship is constructed both as a gender-neutral and gendered process.rnResearch limitations/implications - The career perspective could be more widely applicable tornresearch into entrepreneurship, and perceiving entrepreneurship as work could offer an interestingrnavenue for future interdisciplinary study within career research.rnPractical implications - By portraying the transition from unemployment/redundancy intornentrepreneurship as a normal career shift, entrepreneurship is potentially made accessible to a broaderrngroup of people including unemployed women. Narratives have potential to be applied as careerrnmanagement tools.rnOriginality/value - The paper provides a contextualised view of the transition intornentrepreneurship after unemployment and demonstrates how the entrepreneurship process isrnconnected to the individual work history, employment setting, and gender.