Beyond the Relationship between Cognitive Structures and Opportunity Recognition Capability: What about Engineers’ Thinking Style?

Abstract

This mixed study explores the relationship between thinking styles (TS) and opportunity recognition capability (OR). We sampled engineers and technicians currently studying engineering as a second profession and engineering post-degree. Respondents have a predominant rational TS. Age and work experience have a positive relationship with rational TS. There is a difference in OR level between technical and post-degree respondents. Age, work experience, entrepreneurship experiences, and tenure have a positive correlation with OR level. We found clues to that respondents’ rational thinking style, could have a positive effect on OR. We triangulated the quantitative results by a semantic analysis of the item statements. This work contributed to entrepreneurial cognition research questioning the theory of OR as the result of a simple structural alignment between structural knowledge and market events. Also, for engineering education we explore the relationship between engineering students' cognitive processes and entrepreneurial skills.