Breaking the Iceberg Illusion: A Conceptual Framework on Stress among High-Growth Entrepreneurs

Abstract

While prior studies provide valuable insight on stress among entrepreneurs in general, the existing literature has not focused on stress among high-growth entrepreneurs. By drawing on the literature on entrepreneurial stress and high growth of a firm, the purpose of this conceptual paper is to develop a comprehensive model on antecedents, moderators, consequences and coping strategies of stress among high-growth entrepreneurs. We concur with the prior studies and propose that the main causes (i.e., role overload, role conflict and role ambiguity) and devastating consequences (e.g., decrease in mental and physical health, divorces) of stress apply also in the context of a high- growth entrepreneur. But more importantly, we extend the current body of knowledge by identifying specific stress-enhancing (e.g., firm ownership, current level of performance, mode of growth) and stress-reducing (e.g., team- entrepreneurship) moderators that are distinctive for high-growth entrepreneurs. In addition, our model reveals intriguing interdependencies and feedback loops between them. In brief, our model informs the theory by abstracting a more nuanced understanding of how stress occurs among high- growth entrepreneurs.