Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation Research Articles

Individual entrepreneurial orientation training: an experimental insight into small business owner career success

PurposeBased on action regulation theory (ART), this study aims to test the impact of individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) training on small business owner career success (financial attainment, satisfaction and achievement). Moreover, this relationship was unpacked through a dual mediation model of IEO behaviour and career resilience.Design/methodology/approachA four-wave, longitudinal randomized controlled field experiment was conducted in which 527 small business owners participated from Lahore, Pakistan (training group = 256, control group = 271). The data analysis was done via ANCOVAs (group comparison) and PROCESS Model 6 (for serial mediation).FindingsThe results demonstrated that after getting IEO training, the small business owners had increased IEO behaviour, career resilience and career success as compared to their counterparts in the control group. In addition, the effect of IEO training on career success was attributed to the underlying role of IEO behaviour and career resilience development.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies that have demonstrated the impact of IEO training on the career-related outcomes based on the action regulation perspective.

Linking individual entrepreneurial orientation to entrepreneurial alertness

Linking individual entrepreneurial orientation to entrepreneurial alertness

Examine the interaction impact of psychological characteristics on individual entrepreneurial orientation and cyberpreneurship intentions

In a rapidly evolving digital economy, cyberpreneurship has emerged as a pivotal force driving innovation and economic growth. The study applies the Theory of Planned Behaviour in predicting entrepreneurial intention in the context of Malaysia, where the government has actively championed digital entrepreneurship. Drawing from a sample of 473 final-year university students in the Klang Valley region of Malaysia, the study investigates the impact of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO) dimensions, namely innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness, on the intention to engage in cyberpreneurship within the context of Digital Free Trade Zones (DFTZ). The study further examines the moderation effect of psychological characteristics incorporating visionary thinking, self-efficacy, opportunism, and creativity to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing cyberpreneurial intentions. With the moderating variable, the paper presents a comprehensive model to investigate the IEO and psychological characteristics contributing to cyberpreneurship intentions and its impact on engagement in DFTZ. An empirical examination of data and hypotheses found that risk-taking (RISK) and proactiveness (PRO) are significantly related to cyberpreneurial intention. Psychological characteristics significantly proved its moderating role in its interaction with innovatiness (INNO), risk-taking (RISK), and proactivness (PRO) in influencing cyberpreneurial intentions (CYBER_PI). Innovativeness (INNO) without the influence of the moderating variable is not significantly related to cyberpreneurial intentions. Engagement with the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) through the mediating role of cyberpreneurial intentions (CYBER_PI), the innovativeness (INNO) did not succeed. On the other hand, risk-taking (RISK) and proactiveness (PRO) are found to be significant. The paper contributes to the landscape of e-commerce and digital trade literature by advancing our understanding of the factors driving individuals’ intentions to participate in cyberpreneurship and engage in DFTZ. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and entrepreneurs alike.

The effects of personal-organizational fit on employee’s positive work attitudes: An entrepreneurial orientation perspective

Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has become a critical characteristic for individual career advancement and the development of corporate entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, the connection between personal-organizational fit regarding EO and the working attitudes of employees remains underexplored in the existing literature. This paper explores the impact of alignment between organizational entrepreneurial orientation (OEO) and individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) on employee’s positive work attitudes, focusing on affective commitment (AC) and organizational identity (OI). The foundation of research resides in the personal-organization fit theory, as well as social information processing theory. To rigorously evaluate our proposed hypotheses, we implemented a research design that incorporates polynomial regression with surface response analysis, sourcing our data from 292 valid survey replies gathered from personnel employed by private sector organizations in China. Results reveal a positive correlation between entrepreneurial orientation and positive work attitudes, but also a “too-much-of-a-good-thing” effect, where excessive alignment between IEO and OEO can lead to diminished positive work attitudes. These findings highlight the need for a balanced approach to aligning entrepreneurial values during recruitment and underscore the importance of supporting entrepreneurial employees in highly entrepreneurial organizations.

Childhood trauma and entrepreneurs’ individual entrepreneurial orientation

ABSTRACT Experiencing childhood trauma (that is, neglect/abuse) threatens the cognition, behavior, and well-being of individuals. In this paper, we examine whether and how childhood traumatic experiences, which go along with being an underdog entrepreneur, influence entrepreneurs’ individual entrepreneurial orientation (Ind.EO). Examining two samples of small-business entrepreneurs in the UK, we find that (i) traumatic childhood experiences boost entrepreneurs’ Ind.EO; (ii) this positive effect is the net result of an increase in promotion (relative to prevention) regulatory focus and an increase in self-dehumanization. Moreover, the positive impact of traumatic childhood experiences on entrepreneurs’ Ind.EO is stronger for rule-breaking entrepreneurs.

Intrapreneurs, high performers, or hybrid stars? How individual entrepreneurial orientation affects employee performance

Recently, scholars have extended the concept of entrepreneurial orientation to the individual level. Yet, how individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) contributes to employee performance is not well understood. Building on role theory, we develop a novel typology of employee performance that distinguishes between employee behavior aimed at achieving in-role performance and employee engagement in intrapreneurial activities. To test how IEO affects the different performance prototypes of this typology, we collected survey and archival data on IEO, entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), employee in-role performance, and engagement in intrapreneurship in a Dutch subsidiary of an international consultancy firm. Our results show that IEO is positively associated with in-role performance and intrapreneurship. ESE is also positively associated with in-role performance and intrapreneurship, albeit indirectly via IEO. These results mark an initial step in unraveling the impact of IEO on employee and firm performance, as well as why different outcomes occur as a result of IEO.

Individual entrepreneurial orientation for entrepreneurial readiness

Low business start-ups due to poor entrepreneurial competence among the youth has continued to attract the interest of entrepreneurship educators and practitioners. Previous investigations have explored individual entrepreneurial orientation, with little attention given to entrepreneurial readiness of students from science and technology colleges in Nigeria. This research shortcoming forms the motivation for this study. The study aims to explore the effect of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO) components on students’ entrepreneurial readiness for business start-ups. The philosophical approach is framed within the positivist perspective, with a survey of 289 exit-level students as the sample size. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test and Bartlett’s test were performed to measure the sample adequacy. Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis were conducted to validate the hypotheses. The results indicated that IEO risk-taking shows insignificant association with the students’ entrepreneurial readiness, while IEO innovation and IEO proactivity show significant association with the students’ entrepreneurial readiness. The study further reveals that there is no gender difference in the students’ entrepreneurial readiness as influenced by IEO towards starting a business. Managerial implication suggests the promotion and development of an entrepreneurial mindset with practical translations.

Determinants of intrapreneurial intention of small tea exporters in Sri Lanka

The purpose of the study is to investigate the factors affecting the intrepreneurial intentions of small tea exporters in Sri Lanka. Intentions are crucial in any behavior to realize such behaviors and yield expected results. Owing to the problem of this study as how to initiate innovations in the global tea market, the study was carried out to find out the determinants of intentions of small tea exporters in Sri Lanka. This is a quantitative study followed by deductive reasoning. This study selected small tea exporters with the view of enhancing their intentions to proceed with these innovations, as large tea exporters are already introducing innovations to the tea industry. The study collected data from 120 small tea exporters who had registered with the Sri Lanka Tea Board by the end of 2020 using a structured questionnaire. The findings revealed that Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO), attitudes, and Entrepreneurial Self-efficacy (ESE) have significant and positive impact on Intrapreneurial Intention (INI) of small tea exporters in Sri Lanka while IEO contributes more to the INI. Finally, the findings of this study provide useful insights for small tea exporters in stimulating their intentions towards the introduction of innovations leading to a better performance in the global tea market. Further, it will guide policymakers and the government in designing the appropriate policies, rules, and regulations in this context.

The Effect of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution 4.0 On Women Business Venturing Survival in Nigeria

The Effect of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution 4.0 On Women Business Venturing Survival in Nigeria

Understanding individual entrepreneurial orientation

Current research on entrepreneurial orientation is mostly from a firm-level perspective, focuses on developed countries, and recent studies treat entrepreneurial orientation as a uni-dimensional construct. Studies on entrepreneurial orientation from a generational perspective mostly use a comparison between two groups (young and old) and neglect the well-accepted classification of generational cohorts. This study therefore examines the individual dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (risk-taking, innovativeness and proactivity) among the Baby Boomers, Generations X, Y, and Z in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey that yielded a sample of 1,082 adults from Bosnia and Herzegovina. One-way analysis of variance with Brown-Forsythe, Welch’s F, and least significant post-hoc tests were used to test the hypotheses. The results show some evidence that individual entrepreneurial orientation varies significantly between generations, at different levels of significance. Risk-taking generally decreases with older generations, as does innovativeness, except when comparing Generations X and Y, while proactiveness increases with older generations. The study provides valuable information for future entrepreneurs, business incubators and potential investors.

An Analysis Effect of Internet Capability on The Enhanced of Student Interest in Pursuing Technological Entrepreneurship During Pandemic

Indonesia's internet use is increasing rapidly, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The most significant number of internet users today are at the age of students. Students can use the Internet for learning, social activities, and business. Therefore, it is the background of this study to explore factors in internet skills, such as contextual efficacy, internet self-efficacy, and computer self-efficacy, which affect the interest of students in Indonesia to become a technopreneur. The study uses quantitative methods, with the Structural Equation Model and Partial Lease Square (SEM-PLS) techniques. Data collection using snowball sampling technique from 11 cities in Indonesia and collected 506 respondents used in this study during the pandemic situation. This study found four relationships that have an influence. Computer self-efficacy impacts 68.2% of individual entrepreneurship orientation and 34.3% of technopreneur intention. Contextual element affects 43.9% of technopreneur intentions. Internet self-efficacy affects 17.3% of technopreneur intentions. The study found that three relationships had no effect. The conclusion of the research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic is that the ability to surf the Internet for Computer Self Efficacy, Contextual Elements, and Internet Self Efficacy directly affects students' desire to become technopreneurs.

Attracted to the Hustle? An Impression Management Perspective on Entrepreneurial Hustle in New Venture Recruitment

AbstractResearch has shown that impression management helps entrepreneurs access critical resources, but insights into applying concrete impression management techniques in new venture recruitment remain scarce. This knowledge gap represents a challenge for new ventures facing disadvantages in recruitment. We propose self‐presentations of entrepreneurial hustle as an effective impression management technique for entrepreneurs. Such self‐presentations to applicants increase the perceived competence and thereby the attractiveness of entrepreneurs' new ventures. We introduce applicants' individual entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurs' gender as factors influencing the relationship between entrepreneurial hustle and perceived entrepreneurial competence. Employing an experimental vignette methodology across three samples – a main sample drawn from mTurk (N = 613) and two additional samples from Prolific (N = 130) and German management students (N = 188) – we find that perceived competence mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial hustle and perceived organizational attractiveness. While individual entrepreneurial orientation weakens the effect of entrepreneurial hustle self‐presentations on perceived competence, we do not find an influence of entrepreneurs' gender. This research indicates mechanisms and contingencies regarding the effect of entrepreneurial hustle self‐presentations. Our results advance not only research on entrepreneurial hustle but also theory on interviewer‐level impression management and new venture recruitment.

Age, entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial intentions: the mediating role of individual entrepreneurial orientation

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationship between age and entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial intentions considering the mediating role of individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) dimensions (risk-taking, innovativeness and proactiveness).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 782 individuals from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s working-age population using a cross-sectional survey design. Hypotheses were tested via structural equation modeling.FindingsYounger individuals have significantly higher intentions for entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship than older individuals. The mediating role of IEO was partially supported in the case of the relationship between age and entrepreneurial intention as well as age and intrapreneurial intention. While risk-taking and innovativeness partially mediate the relationship, proactiveness does not.Originality/valueThis study takes a comprehensive approach when examining the relationship between age and entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial intentions in a developing economy while considering the indirect effects of IEO dimensions.

Fashion Entrepreneurship: Narcissism and Entrepreneurial Intention

Narcissism and entrepreneurship have been little studied in previous research. For the fashion industry, the relevance of narcissism is evident. In Paris, Berlin, and Zurich, students from fashion schools were surveyed about the connection between dual narcissism and entrepreneurial intention. The results indicate that there are strong correlations between narcissistic admiration and entrepreneurial intention; however, no significant correlations were found for the second component of dual narcissism and narcissistic rivalry. The simple research design was followed up with a more complex research design that attempts to answer the question of how narcissistic admiration influences entrepreneurial intention. The results highlight the view that entrepreneurial skills and risk-taking (as one of three factors) of individual entrepreneurial orientation mediate the relationship between narcissism and entrepreneurial intention. Unlike proactivity, innovativeness correlates positively and strongly with narcissistic admiration but has no significant effect on entrepreneurial intention. In the fashion industry, innovativeness can be lived by starting a venture or as an entrepreneurial career in the creative environment of existing fashion companies.

Shades of green: A latent profile analysis of sustainable entrepreneurial attitudes among business students

This study aims to enhance our understanding of the heterogeneity in sustainable and entrepreneurial attitudes among business students, to promote sustainable business practices and entrepreneurship that can effectively address environmental and social challenges. By utilising the theory of planned behaviour as a conceptual lens and employing latent profile analysis as an analytical approach, the study examines the presence of diverse profiles among first-semester business students at the University of Southern Denmark based on students' sustainable attitude, individual entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial perceived behavioural control. It investigates how these profiles differ regarding students' sustainable and entrepreneurial intentions. The analysis reveals the existence of five distinct profiles within the student population: the Confident Entrepreneurial Mindset Students, the Sustainable Students, the Average Sustainable and Entrepreneurial Students, the Sustainable, Non-entrepreneurial Students, and the Sustainable and Entrepreneurial Diffident Students. Notably, only entrepreneurial intention varied significantly across these profiles. Identifying distinct profiles contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the student population's entrepreneurial and sustainable attitudes. This, in turn, enables the development of more sophisticated models to comprehend the complex processes underlying students' intentions towards sustainable entrepreneurship. By gaining deeper insights into sustainable entrepreneurship education, these findings provide valuable implications for fostering sustainable business practices among business students and effectively addressing environmental and social challenges.

Entrepreneurship in family firms: What’s next? Multilevel embeddedness and individuals’ cognition

This special issue contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship in family firms by leveraging the family embeddedness perspective. In doing so, the papers of the special issue bridge entrepreneurship at firm level with analyses at the individual and the enterprising family levels. Starting from and extending such contributions, in this introductory article we offer a “multilevel” embeddedness perspective on entrepreneurship in family firms. We do so first by considering that, in family firms, each individual's cognition ultimately depends on whether they belong to the enterprising family, and whether and how they are active in the family business. Second, we advance that individual entrepreneurial orientation is a key cognitive factor resulting from the multilevel embeddedness and bridging it with entrepreneurship at firm level. We derive theoretical implications for entrepreneurship in family business and highlight avenues for future research.

The Influence of Entrepreneurial Education on Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation of University Students: A Systematic Review

The level of entrepreneurship in a country is an important determinant of economic growth and success. However, it is essential to ensure that individuals are gaining the necessary knowledge and skills to choose an entrepreneurial career upon completion of their studies. A qualitative research approach was employed by systematically reviewing approaches to entrepreneurial education and their effect on an individual’s entrepreneurial orientation. Data were analysed by means of thematic content analysis. Articles were identified in prominent databases according to a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings were grouped into six themes: The importance of the practical nature of entrepreneurial education; the impact of entrepreneurial education on the economy; entrepreneurial education approaches; the importance of individual entrepreneurial orientation; common individual entrepreneurial orientation factors and the interchangeability of individual entrepreneurial orientation, intrapreneurial orientation, and entrepreneurial attitude orientation. The findings of the systematic review indicate that there is a gap in the current body of knowledge, and the value of the study lies in the fact that many studies have explored the influence of entrepreneurial education on the intention of students, but very few have analysed this influence based on a student’s individual entrepreneurial orientation. Furthermore, findings also reveal that current entrepreneurial education approaches employ theory-based teaching but do not place enough emphasis on practice-based teaching. The findings of this study contribute to the existing body of knowledge by investigating the influence that entrepreneurial education has on the individual entrepreneurial education of university students.

The Effect of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation on Student’s Entrepreneurial Intention in West Kalimantan

Entrepreneurship has become one of the main issues in government policy in various countries. Therefore, understanding entrepreneurial intention (EI) and individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) is important for research. EI is influenced by many factors, such as social environment and cultural and psychological factors. IEO is an individual personality characteristic that reflects a tendency to engage in entrepreneurial behavior with three dimensions, namely, innovative, proactive, and risk-taking. However, there has not been much research on IEO and EI in the context of vocational students. So, through this research, the relationship between IEO and EI for vocational students in Indonesia will be explained in detail. This study involved 388 vocational students in West Kalimantan. The participants were randomly selected and analyzed using quantitative methods to test the proposed hypothesis. Based on the results of the study, it was found that there was a positive and significant relationship between the dimensions of IEO on EI both directly and indirectly. The implications of the results of this research are that agencies and governments tasked with developing entrepreneurial ecosystems must understand the importance of IEOs in increasing EI. Therefore, policies and programs must be designed to develop IEOs and create a conducive environment for individuals to develop as entrepreneurs. However, this study had several limitations. First, this study only involved students from one vocational school. Therefore, the research findings may not necessarily be applicable to large populations. Second, this study used quantitative methods, so it did not explain in depth the individual experiences in forming EI.

The Effect of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation on Career Development: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Leadership

Organizations need to employ strategies to maintain and improve valuable resources and use human competencies effectively to achieve development in the current unstable and Knowledge-based environment. One of these strategies is planning and organizing the career path. As a powerful arm of a government, regarding support and food security services, the career development of employees in the Ministry of Agriculture is one of the most important management tasks that creates added value. The present study examines the effect of entrepreneurial organizational leadership and individual entrepreneurial orientation on career development and investigates the mediating role of entrepreneurial leadership. For this purpose, data were collected from 235 employees of the Ministry of Agriculture who were selected randomly through a questionnaire. The results showed that individual entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial organizational leadership had a positive and significant effect on career development, and entrepreneurial leadership significantly mediated the effect of individual entrepreneurial orientation on career development.

Entrepreneurial orientation of Muslim Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) owners in West Sumatera

This study aims to provide an overview of Entrepreneurial Orientation in Muslim’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in West Sumatera Province who are ranked in the top 10 in the number and growth of national Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. This research used quantitative approach with random sampling (n = 671). Participant of this study are muslim entrepreneurs from different backgrounds such as genders, education, and residence.  Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO) scale was used as the instrument of measurement.  The data analysis used is descriptive statistics and mean comparison. The results of the study found that the majority of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in West Sumatera opened business in the culinary field and had a very high Entrepreneurial Orientation. Based on the average per dimension, all dimensions had high scores. The dimension of perseverance has the highest average score (8.52) while the lowest score is owned by the innovativeness dimension (7.98). Based on means comparison, significant differences in entrepreneurial orientation were found based on the categories of gender, age, city origin, and gross profit.