Should I Stay orSshould I go? Predictive Effects of Commitment on Long-Term Entrepreneurial Action

Abstract

Our research addresses the entrepreneurial intention-action gap, by examining the predictive effect of goal intention and commitment on long-term entrepreneurial action. Building on recent research adapting Allen and Meyer’s model of commitment to nascent entrepreneurship, it explores how different profiles of commitment can lead the entrepreneur to persist within the same project (entrepreneurial persistence), or to start a new one (serial entrepreneurship). A longitudinal survey was conducted within a timeframe of 18 months on a sample of nascent entrepreneurs (n = 161). Our results demonstrate that commitment predicts long-term entrepreneurial action, but that the nature of this behavior depends on entrepreneurs’ commitment profile. While commitment to the project is positively associated with entrepreneurial persistence, commitment to the entrepreneurial profession leads to serial entrepreneurship. Our study is the first one to empirically test the predictive effect of commitment on long-term entrepreneurial action. It contributes to literature on the entrepreneurial intention-action gap, as well as an emerging literature on entrepreneurial commitment. Our results are also important for incubators, in their effort to individualize their support offer, but also for increasing entrepreneurs’ self-awareness and transparency with their stakeholders.