Unfolding the entrepreneurial creative process: sufficient and necessary team climate configurations in opportunity recognition

Purpose Given that opportunity identification is a collaborative creative endeavour, it is fundamental to understand the contextual forces shaping team-level search. This study adopts a configurational lens to investigate the complex interplay between team climate and the stages of creativity-based opportunity recognition. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in social influence theory and configurational approach, the study employs a multi-method design. Data from 88 entrepreneurial teams at Mondragon Team Academy (Spain) were analysed using a combination of partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and necessary condition analysis (NCA) to capture non-linear and asymmetrical relationships across the preparation, conception and elaboration stages. Findings The results reveal that there is no single best team climate across the opportunity recognition process. Instead, different configurations of team climate conditions facilitate or constrain entrepreneurial teams depending on the cognitive demands of each creative stage, supporting a dynamic and stage-contingent view of entrepreneurial collaboration. Practical implications For entrepreneurship educators and venture facilitators, the findings provide stage-specific intervention strategies showing how team climate can be intentionally regulated as a pedagogical mechanism to support opportunity recognition. By aligning contextual conditions with the cognitive demands of each creative stage, educators can more effectively facilitate entrepreneurial team performance. Originality/value This research provides the first empirical examination of the configurational role of team climate across a multi-stage creative process in entrepreneurship. By bridging the gap between team creativity and opportunity search through the lens of complexity approach, it offers a more nuanced, stage-sensitive understanding of collective entrepreneurship than traditional linear studies.