Problem Statement: Despite the rapidly growing importance of digital entrepreneurship within the creative economy, Iranian art universities continue to experience weak linkages with digital ecosystems and persistently high rates of graduate unemployment. Existing literature has predominantly focused on technical and business-oriented institutions, leaving a systematic examination of the factors that shape digital entrepreneurship in artistic higher education notably underexplored.
Research Objective: The present study aims to systematically identify the key factors influencing the development of digital entrepreneurship in art universities and to elucidate the structural relationships among these factors through a systemic lens. The ultimate goal is to design and validate a comprehensive model capable of advancing digital entrepreneurship in these institutions.
Methodology: This research is applied in nature and adopts an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 13 experts from Iranian art universities and analysed using Attride-Stirling’s (2001) thematic network approach. In the quantitative phase, interpretive structural modelling (ISM) was employed to map the hierarchical interrelationships among the identified factors, while partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to validate the proposed model.
Findings: Qualitative analysis yielded 762 initial codes, which were refined into 69 basic themes, 12 organising themes, and four global themes: individual development, organisational development, environmental development, and digital development. The ISM results revealed that cultural-social, legal, economic, and infrastructural factors occupy the foundational level of the hierarchy. These foundational factors shape the digital culture of universities, which subsequently drives structural and strategic development, ultimately enhancing digital entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, and norms, and culminating in the realisation of digital entrepreneurship. The PLS-SEM analysis confirmed the model’s acceptable overall fit, with all hypothesised relationships proving statistically significant.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the development of digital entrepreneurship in art universities requires a systemic, multi-level approach that simultaneously addresses individual, organisational, institutional, and infrastructural dimensions. The proposed model offers a robust strategic framework that can guide higher education policymakers and art university administrators in cultivating a more dynamic and sustainable digital entrepreneurial ecosystem within the creative sector.