How to foster intrapreneurial intentions of sport science students? A cross-cultural symmetric and asymmetric approach

Abstract

Intrapreneurs are needed in the sport sector due to its competitive nature. However, little attention has been paid to this topic within sport entrepreneurship literature. This paper aims to examine the cross-cultural applicability of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior for predicting the intrapreneurial intentions (II) of sport science students from two European countries and to discover if there is a moderating effect of country’s culture on the antecedents of II. A questionnaire to collect the data was used. The sample is composed by 736 final year sports sciences students from Spain and Lithuania. The combination of a symmetric (Structural Equations Modelling) and asymmetric (Qualitative Comparative Analysis) approach was used to examine the students’ country culture as a potential moderator. Results indicate Ajzens’s theory of planned behavior as a suitable framework to predict intrapreneurial intentions (II). Moreover, it is highlighted that the country’s culture can have a moderating effect on the university students’ II. Educational policy makers should consider the impact of county culture when promoting intrapreneurial behavior. In Spain, it should be developed a positive attitude towards intrapreneurial behavior, while in Lithuania it is more important to foster that they perceive as having the necessary skills to be an intrapreneur.