The impact of user perspective-taking on entrepreneurial behavior: The Roles of ambidextrous innovation, entrepreneurial intention, and community interaction

The impact of user entrepreneurship on society has become increasingly significant, and related academic research has gradually expanded. However, understanding of its formation mechanism remains insufficient. Building upon the Simulated Empathy Theory of Entrepreneurship and adopting perspective-taking as a triggering factor, this study provides an in-depth exploration of the formation mechanism of user entrepreneurship. Perspective-taking serves as the entry point for discovering consumers’ latent needs and identifying entrepreneurial opportunities, representing a critical stage in the formation of entrepreneurial behavior. Through questionnaire surveys and scenario-based experiments, the study draws the following conclusions: (1) Perspective-taking has a significant positive effect on user entrepreneurial behavior. (2) Ambidextrous innovation and entrepreneurial intention play a chain-mediated role between perspective-taking and user entrepreneurial behavior. (3) Community interaction strengthens the influence of perspective-taking on ambidextrous innovation. Specifically, perspective-taking enables users to identify needs that consumers have yet to articulate, thereby facilitating early discovery of entrepreneurial opportunities. Ambidextrous innovation serves as the prerequisite for a product’s commercial viability and is a key stage in the “spontaneous” emergence of entrepreneurial ideas among users. Community interaction corrects biases in perspective-taking while enhancing individuals’ ability to utilize resources and develop technology, thereby serving as an effective pathway for iterative product innovation. This research systematically reveals the formation mechanism of user entrepreneurship, expands the application scenarios of perspective-taking, and provides theoretical guidance for user entrepreneurs.