Shifting tides, stable grounds: balancing career mobility and stability through entrepreneurial competencies

Entrepreneurial careers are frequently portrayed as highly mobile, yet this study reveals a complementary logic in which entrepreneurial competencies help individuals balance boundary-crossing mobility with periods of deliberate stability. Using interview data from graduates of a Scandinavian Venture Creation Program (VCP), the findings show how process-related decision-making and social competencies support adaptability and continuity across organizational and professional boundaries. While some graduates pursued high mobility, transitioning across industries and roles, most leveraged those competencies to deepen expertise within clearly defined boundaries. This study demonstrates that entrepreneurial competencies matter well beyond firm founding and extends knowledge of entrepreneurial careers in multiple organizational settings. By integrating boundaryless-career theory, entrepreneurial success involves both transcending boundaries and cultivating alignment inside them.