What Drives Employees to Become Entrepreneurs? The Role of Ambidexterity and other Work Experiences

Abstract

This study examines the organizational drivers of nascent entrepreneurship. Using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the analyses suggest that employees who experience individual-level ambidexterity, that is exposure to both the exploration and exploitation phases in the corporate venturing process, are more likely to become nascent entrepreneurs. The analyses also suggest that employees who perceive risk-taking in their job and lack of support with respect to their employment activities, are also more likely to become nascent entrepreneurs. These results contribute to the literature on nascent entrepreneurship, which has largely ignored the role of individuals’ work experiences. The study also links the entrepreneurship and ambidexterity literatures by demonstrating how individual-level ambidexterity and entrepreneurial activity are related.