Entrepreneurial Passion and Team Performance: Leader Passion and Passion Diversity as Moderators

Abstract

This study aims to examine 1) the moderating effects of the team-level passion constructs (i.e., leaders’ entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial passion diversity) on the relationship between team members’ entrepreneurial passion and team performance, and 2) the mediating effect of team performance between pre- and post-team members’ passion. We test our multilevel models using multi-wave data collected from 160 individuals in 53 entrepreneurial teams. First, from a contingency perspective, our findings indicate that leaders’ entrepreneurial passion can be boundary conditions that influence the individuals’ passion-performance relationship. Our findings also imply that entrepreneurial passion diversity directly impedes team performance, although it does not moderate the relationship between individuals’ passion and team performance. Furthermore, from a dynamic perspective, our findings suggest the positive feedback loop in which entrepreneurially passionate individuals contribute to team performance in turn, improves individuals’ entrepreneurial passion. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.