From entrepreneurial intention to behaviour: the influence of a cross-cultural factor

Abstract

Efforts have been oriented to determine the drivers that underlie entrepreneurial intentionality, and several studies have made significant contributions in this direction. However, little is still known about the intensity of the entrepreneurial intention-behaviour relationship, especially across cultures. Extending this body of work, we investigate this link to validate whether it is culturally specific, taking the pace of life as an indicator of national culture. Using global entrepreneurship monitor (GEM) data of countries with apparent cultural differences, we examine a multiple indicator - multiple cause model. Results indicate that the entrepreneurial intention - behaviour relationship is more intense (around two times) in countries with a faster pace of life. The findings show that people in slower-paced countries are less determined to take entrepreneurial actions. However, they usually express much higher intentions for new venture creation. It also indicates that the moderating effect of the pace of life provides evidence that the intention-behaviour relationship is context-specific.