The interplay of entrepreneurial cognition and internal stakeholders

Entrepreneurial cognition studies have looked at the way in which the entrepreneurial mindset drives the company forward, but have failed to explore how aspects of shared cognition with internal stakeholders contribute to organisational performance. Empirical data period from three established entrepreneurial organisations from different industries in Cambridge, UK is presented. The findings provide evidence of cognitive dissonance between the expectations, perceptions and cognition of the entrepreneur and internal stakeholders. This article argues that cognitive dissonance between the entrepreneur and the internal stakeholders moderates organisational learning which limits performance. These findings contribute to our knowledge of how and why shared cognition between the entrepreneur and internal stakeholders affect the performance of the organisation and how through organisational learning established entrepreneurial organisations can sustain its entrepreneurial orientation and growth through the ageing process.