The dialectics of entrepreneurial innovation: A critical analysis of the PMAi model and its development through the Aufhebung category

Abstract

Aim. The work aimed to expand the Progressive Materialization of Anti-Idea (PMAi) model by integrating Hegel’s category of Aufhebung into its structure.
Objectives. The work seeks to formulate an expanded version of the PMAi as a dialectical sequence of phases; to operationalize the preserving-transforming effect by introducing the coefficients of destruction (Kd) and Aufhebung (Ka); to demonstrate the model analytical applicability through empirical illustrations and to outline the “damage zones” of innovation.
Methods. The study methodological basis was a conceptual and theoretical analysis with elements of historical and conceptual reconstruction, which was used to expand the PMAi model. Qualitative comparative case exemplifications were also used to test the heuristics and map the object of destruction (technological chains, competencies, regulations, infrastructure).
Results. Analysis of the PMAi model revealed its strength in its ability to formalize the destructive impulse of entrepreneurial innovation and define a clear criterion of novelty through the “anti-object” concept. The model represents successfully the key insights of Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction, transforming it into a tool for assessing the scale and intensity of displacement of outdated solutions.
Conclusions. A methodological limitation has been identified, namely the innovation process reduction to “pure” destruction, which significantly limits the explanatory potential of the model. The Aufhebung category integration enables to address this shortcoming, transforming PMAi into a concept capable of describing innovation as a dialectical process where the destruction of form is combined with the preservation and transformation of essential elements of content. In its expanded form, the PMAi model becomes not only a theoretical description of the creative destruction phenomenon, but a fully-fledged tool for strategic analysis and innovation forecasting.