Personal agency in newly arrived refugees: The role of personality, entrepreneurial cognitions and intentions, and career adaptability

Abstract

In light of recent developments in the world of work towards increased uncertainty, a rapid pace of change and new possibilities for intentional self-development, subsequent research has strongly emphasized the role of personal agency (e.g., self-initiative, entrepreneurship, and adaptability capacities) in taking advantage of this environment. Here, we adopt this view of personal agency to study early integration processes of refugees facing personal situations that involve examples of extreme uncertainty combined with new opportunities. Specifically, we examine the relationship between personality factors, entrepreneurial alertness and intentions, and career adaptability in a sample of N = 267 refugees (M = 27.56 years, 78.1% male), mostly from Syria, newly arrived in Germany after their flight. Employing structural equation modeling, the data revealed that entrepreneurial alertness is a crucial proximal predictor of entrepreneurial intentions and career adaptability in newly arrived refugees. In addition, the personality factors self-efficacy and resilience were relevant background factors: they predicted entrepreneurial alertness, which in turn mediated the direct link between these background factors and career adaptability. The results underscore the relevance of an agentic perspective in the study of refugees by highlighting the importance of entrepreneurial cognitions and underlying personality factors for the early integration process.