Does Entrepreneurial Team Identity Definitely Improve Entrepreneurial Collaboration Efficiency

Abstract

Using the experience sampling method to conduct an entrepreneurial tracking survey, this paper explores the impact of entrepreneurial team identity on entrepreneurial collaboration efficiency based on the “sense of belonging” perspective and the “oneness” perspective from the social identity theory. The study finds that there exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between entrepreneurial team identity and entrepreneurial collaboration efficiency; and entrepreneurial effort plays a non-linear mediating role in such relationship. Specifically, with the increase of entrepreneurial team identity, on the one hand, the sense of belonging motivates entrepreneurs to put more effort, inspires entrepreneurs’ passion, increases the level of entrepreneurial effort, and thus improves entrepreneurial collaboration efficiency; on the other hand, the oneness from entrepreneurial team identity allows entrepreneurs to strengthen the out-group bias, reduces crisis awareness, decreases entrepreneurial effort, and thus reduces entrepreneurial collaboration efficiency. In addition, this paper finds that entrepreneurs’ feedback orientation significantly enhances the positive relationship between entrepreneurial effort and entrepreneurial collaboration efficiency. This paper contributes to team identity and entrepreneurship research in the following ways: First, it extends identity research to the entrepreneurial field, supplementing the psychological perspective of entrepreneurial team research. Second, it focuses on the within-individual variance of entrepreneurial team identity, and broadens the understanding of the dynamic nature of entrepreneurial team identity. Third, it answers previous scholars’ call to investigate the “dark side” of team identity（Ashforth, et al., 2008; Luan and Xie, 2014）and evidences the ambidexterity of entrepreneurial team identity. Fourth, it unravels the non-linear influencing mechanism from entrepreneurial team identity to entrepreneurial collaboration efficiency by proposing the mediating role of entrepreneurial effort, which contributes to entrepreneurial effort research. Finally, our research proposes the boundary conditions of influencing mechanism from entrepreneurial team identity to entrepreneurial collaboration efficiency. This paper also has important implications for management practice. First, entrepreneurs should realize the double-edged sword effect of entrepreneurial team identity, that is, the moderate level of entrepreneurial team identity is the best for improving entrepreneurial collaboration efficiency. Second, entrepreneurs are ought to be encouraged to put consistent effort to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and intrigue their entrepreneurial passion considering that entrepreneurial effort is helpful for entrepreneurial collaboration efficiency. Third, cultivating entrepreneurs’ feedback orientation is also essential in that the feedback orientation can significantly strengthen the positive relationship between entrepreneurial effort and entrepreneurial collaboration efficiency.