Abstract
PurposeAs the current “one size fits all” research approach is likely to be ineffective in identifying the conditions that promote the entrepreneurial career of the solo self-employed, this paper advances the current understanding of the heterogeneity among the solo self-employed.Design/methodology/approachA person-centered approach is used to identify groups among the solo self-employed based on their starting motives and to examine their engagement in proactive career behaviors.FindingsUsing Latent Class Analysis (LCA), six groups displaying distinct motivational profiles are identified: (1) the pushed by necessity, (2) entrepreneurs by heart, (3) control-seekers, (4) occupationally-driven, (5) challenge-seekers and (6) the family business-driven. In line with the argument that starting motives affect behavior because they reflect the future work selves that individuals aim for, results show that solo self-employed with distinct motivational profiles differ in their engagement in proactive career behaviors. For future research, it is recommended to examine the role of demographic characteristics in the engagement in proactive career behaviors.Originality/valueAlthough starting motives among self-employed people have been studied frequently, this research applies an innovative methodological approach by using LCA. Hereby, a potentially more advanced configuration of starting motives is explored. Additionally, this study applies a career perspective towards the domain of solo self-employment by exploring how solo self-employed with distinct motivational profiles differ in terms of managing their entrepreneurial careers.
Highlights
The upward trend of the solo self-employed managing a business on their own account and risk without employing other people has triggered a lively interdisciplinary academic debate about the causes and implications of these rising numbers (Neneh, 2019)
Besides identifying groups of solo self-employed in terms of their starting motives, we explore how these groups differ in how they manage their entrepreneurial careers by looking at their engagement in proactive career behaviors
Since future work selves are reflected in starting motives (Feldman and Bolino, 2000), we argue that starting motives may affect the engagement in proactive career behaviors of the solo self-employed
Summary
The upward trend of the solo self-employed managing a business on their own account and risk without employing other people has triggered a lively interdisciplinary academic debate about the causes and implications of these rising numbers (Neneh, 2019). The increasing heterogeneity of this group has drawn far less attention until now (Van Stel and De Vries, 2015). Researchers in this field still often treat the solo self-employed as a homogeneous group (Burke, 2015). The current “one size fits all” research approach is likely to be ineffective in identifying the conditions that promote the entrepreneurial career and well-being of the solo self-employed (Burke, 2015; Dawson and Henley, 2012). This paper aims to answer Burke’s call (2015) for a better understanding of the heterogeneity among the solo self-employed
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