Abstract
Individuals may perceive themselves as independent and distinct from others or as interdependent and connected to others. Do these differences in self-construal influence entrepreneurial preferences and intentions to start a new business in university students? Few studies have examined the influence of cultural orientations on entrepreneurial intentions at the individual level of analysis. Two studies investigated the role of independent and interdependent self-construal within the theory of planned behavior (TPB). In the first study, results from structural equation modeling analyses found that chronic independent self-construal was related to attitudes toward entrepreneurship and moderated relationships between attitudes and entrepreneurial intentions. In the second study, participants primed with an independent self-construal had more favorable entrepreneurial attitudes, but not intentions than participants primed with an interdependent focus. This set of studies extends cognitive models of entrepreneurship by demonstrating the role of self-construal in the TPB model at individual level.
Highlights
The creation of new ventures is a conscious and deliberate decision that involves considerable planning and a high degree of cognitive processing (Bird, 1988; Krueger et al, 2000)
Results of the exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) analyses indicated that the items used from the self-construal scale (SCS) and involved two factors had an acceptable fit: [χ2(376, N = 941) = 2118.06, p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.070; CFI = 0.890; TLI= 0.930]
The priming procedure was successful, as indicated by the results of the manipulation check [F(1, 78) = 42.524, p < 0.001]: participants in the independent self-priming condition scored higher in the independence index (M = 7.35, SD = 1.67; 95% CI: 6.80–0.58; CI: 6.81–7.89) than participants in the interdependent self-priming condition (M = 5.20, SD = 1.25; 95% CI: 4.84– 5.55). This difference was accompanied by a large effect size (Cohen’s δ = 1.46). These results provide evidence that the priming task resulted in a shift toward the independent and the interdependent self, regardless of any chronic differences in self-construal
Summary
The creation of new ventures is a conscious and deliberate decision that involves considerable planning and a high degree of cognitive processing (Bird, 1988; Krueger et al, 2000). Given the significant socio-economic returns of entrepreneurship, it is important to identify the factors that influence entrepreneurial intentions in order to gain a better understanding about the drivers and inhibitors of entrepreneurship. Cognitive models of entrepreneurship underline the importance of entrepreneurial intentions such as the engagement in business formation, as antecedents to planned behavior (Krueger et al, 2000; Peterman and Kennedy, 2003). Entrepreneurial intentions are defined as individuals’ convictions to start a new venture while consciously planning to open a business at some future point of time (Bird, 1988). Among several cognitive models of entrepreneurial intentions (e.g., the entrepreneurial event model, Shapero and Sokol, 1982; entrepreneurial schema, Busenitz and Lau, 1996; the entrepreneurial potential model, Krueger et al, 2000) Ajzen’s TPB, has been one of
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