When Brokers Go Broke: Implications of Role Failure in Cultural Brokerage

Salovesh, Michael

doi:10.1515/9783110802818.577

Psychological Anthropology 1975

DOI: 10.1515/9783110802818.577

|View full text |Cite

When Brokers Go Broke: Implications of Role Failure in Cultural Brokerage

Michael Salovesh¹

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

1990

Publication Types

Select...

Article1

Relationship

Self Cite0

Independent1

Authors

Journals

Cited by 1 publication

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

The Bigman Metaphor for Entrepreneurship: A “Library Tale” with Morals on Alternatives for Further Research

Stewart

1990

Organization Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Melanesian Bigmanship (a meritocratic, enacted career of political-economic leadership) is recounted as an anthropological metaphor for entrepreneurship. This “library tale” has two purposes. The first is a demonstration of conceptual uses of ethnographies for developing grounded theory. Propositions are generated on entrepreneurial orientations and opportunity structures. Opportunities are seen to arise in the creation of linkages between spheres of exchange, or fields in which an object exchanges at different values. Entrepreneurial tactics, such as converting between spheres, call for skills in informal planning, astute use of timing, and networking. These “tactical” skills coexist with “moral” skills, in persuasiveness, the manipulation of norms, and recognition of culturally specific opportunities. The entrepreneur's acts thus create a dialectic of moral (normatively approved) and tactical (instrumentally enacted) changes. The second purpose is a demonstration of methodological implications of ethnographies. Library tales are helpful in the process of “constant comparison” (Glaser and Strauss 1967), by augmenting available, within-site observations with other sources of insight, and of potential disconfirmation of emerging ideas. However, there are limits to the “translation” of library tales. There thus arises a need for observations tailored to specific comparative questions. Multiple site case replication research is suggested for tailoring observations to synchronic, comparative uses. Processual, continuous contextual analysis is suggested for diachronic, intensive followups to such questions as the relationships amongst constraints and individual agency.

show abstract

The Bigman Metaphor for Entrepreneurship: A “Library Tale” with Morals on Alternatives for Further Research

Stewart

1990

Organization Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

When Brokers Go Broke: Implications of Role Failure in Cultural Brokerage

Cited by 1 publication

References 0 publications

The Bigman Metaphor for Entrepreneurship: A “Library Tale” with Morals on Alternatives for Further Research

The Bigman Metaphor for Entrepreneurship: A “Library Tale” with Morals on Alternatives for Further Research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About