Knowing to Broaden Vision, Acting to Accomplish Goals: A Dual-Path Study on How Work Experience Diversity Influences Entrepreneurial Opportunity Identification

However, environmental competitiveness weakens these positive effects: in highly competitive markets, the slopes of the diversity–flexibility and diversity–bricolage relationships decrease substantially, indicating that external pressures constrain the cognitive and behavioral benefits of diverse career experiences. These findings suggest that while diverse prior work experiences foster adaptive thinking and resource recombination, the advantages are context-dependent.

In less competitive environments, diversity generates higher returns in opportunity identification, whereas in competitive markets, entrepreneurs should complement experience diversity with targeted strategies for market adaptation and resilience. Our dataset enables replication of the analysis and offers practical implications for entrepreneurs, educators, and policymakers seeking to design interventions mindful of environmental dynamics.