Entrepreneurial Personality Traits Research Articles

DEVELOPMENT OF A CROSS-CULTURAL ITEM BANK FOR MEASURING ENTREPRENEURIAL PERSONALITY TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH VENTURE SUCCESS

This study aims to create a cross-cultural item bank that enables accurate, specific and comprehensive measurement of entrepreneurial personality traits associated with successful businesses. The traits were identified through a literature review, a panel of experts and entrepreneurs. Forty-four experts were used for the content analysis of the item bank and 35 entrepreneurs were interviewed to analyze and validate the item bank with considerable evidence. We identified sixteen entrepreneurial personality traits grounded in theory, each linked to entrepreneurial success, constructed a cross-cultural item bank customized to five Spanish-speaking countries to enable a more culturally sensitive measurement, and provided evidence of both content and response process validities. The item bank advances the measurement of entrepreneurial personality traits, transcending the constraints of conventional psychometric tests to offer a less intrusive, yet more accurate and efficient, alternative. A foundation is provided for a computerized adaptive test capable of assessing a range of entrepreneur-specific constructs for a better alignment between project stakeholders and a reduced risk of failure.

PERSONALITY-RELATED DETERMINANTS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE LIGHT OF OWN RESEARCH IN THE AGRIBUSINESS SECTOR

The aim of this article is to identify the personality traits that can characterise entrepreneurial people and to determine what they believe to be important in achieving success. Entrepreneurship is defined very broadly in the literature and researchers consider different approaches to this issue. Certainly, being entrepreneurial is a combination of knowledge, passion, hard work and active learning. What is more, in many studies there are hypotheses indicating a correlation between the possession of certain character traits, or even temperament, and the propensity to start a business. In this article, an analysis of the behavioural and attitude approach to entrepreneurship is undertaken, which means that some personal traits and behaviour of the entrepreneurial person are analysed, as well as their perceptions of the issue. A descriptive-inductive method was used, using simple statistical methods. A survey method was used to obtain empirical data. An online survey form was sent to agribusiness entrepreneurs from Poland, the entrepreneurs were randomly selected. The respondents were primarily active in industries such as fruit, vegetable processing, as well as meat. A total of 57 returns were received between January and March 2023. The questionnaire included questions on personality traits that may be conducive to an entrepreneurial attitude, as well as identifying attitudes towards certain management situations. The respondents rated themselves as extroverted and open-minded, confident in their abilities. Most respondents described themselves as sanguines. A number of scientific studies confirm that sanguines and extroverts are the people who are most successful as entrepreneurs. Considering the statements of the respondents, there was a significant difference in the inconsistency of the responses from those labelled choleric and phlegmatic. The most consistent statements were obtained from sanguinis. Sanguinis were the most likely of all respondents to believe in the strength of their predispositions and character traits. Cholerics, due to their explosive nature and not always good decisions, felt that it was appropriate to monotone external factors, as this was the basis for decision-making. As a result of the survey and the literature review, it can be confirmed that entrepreneurial personality traits play an important role when setting up one's own business and also when continuing to manage it, but also an external situation and business environment play an important role in decision-making process. All these factors should be correlated and a good entrepreneur should be able to use his/her strengths to exploit market opportunities. According to the authors of this article, it is necessary to integrate one's personality traits and aptitudes with market information and ongoing monitoring of the industry to achieve success. Key words: personal traits, entrepreneurship, business motives JEL code: Q13, L26

A Model for Organizational Entrepreneurship with Entrepreneurial Personality Traits Approach of District 1 Iran Teaching Hospitals

Background: Having the individual characteristics of entrepreneurial employees in organizations is a unique asset that enables the organization to move towards entrepreneurship by using these capabilities more easily and with less investment and spending less time selecting and training employees. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between entrepreneurial personality traits and entrepreneurship in district 1 Iran teaching hospitals. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 946 staff of hospitals of medical sciences universities using census method in 2020. The instruments of measurement were standard enterprise entrepreneurship questionnaire and entrepreneurial personality traits questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling using Smart Pls2 software. Results: The results showed a significant direct relationship between risk–taking and organizational entrepreneurship (r = 0.62). Also, there was a relationship between the component of internal locus of control with organizational entrepreneurship (r = 0.71), between the achievement component with organizational entrepreneurship (r = 0.68), and between personality traits of entrepreneurs with organizational entrepreneurship (r = 0.68) (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: Regarding the direct relationship between entrepreneurial personality traits and entrepreneurship, it seems that entrepreneurship will be improved and vice versa if identified and supported by entrepreneurial personality traits. Thus, making decisions that affect both of these variables will improve organizational entrepreneurship and achieve a healthy and entrepreneurial organization.

Framing entrepreneurial actorness from a value-theoretical perspective: A comparative analysis of European specificities

This paper claims that entrepreneurial actorness, which is one of the main thematic scopes of entrepreneurship research, can be (re-)framed from a value-theoretical perspective. The various individual features addressed as entrepreneurial personality traits (one’s ideas, perceptions, understandings, mindsets, routines, etc.) can thus be linked to certain value contents and specific value sets. For the purposes of this novel theoretical perspective, this paper first applies Shalom H. Schwartz’s framework of Basic Human Values, before presenting a comparative analysis of European entrepreneurs’ value preferences. The results show that there are four separate entrepreneur groups with significantly different value hierarchies whose distribution varies across Europe.

Başarma İhtiyacının Kavramsal ve Kuramsal Açıdan Değerlendirilmesi

The need for achievement refers to the needs of an individual for achievement in all areas of his life. So the need to accomplish a task can be defined as the desire to be better than others or the desire to be better in one's competition with oneself. In the literature, the concept of need for achievement, which is mostly examined while revealing the characteristics of entrepreneurship, is considered in the framework of content theories, which is one of the basic motivation theories. In this respect, McClelland's Need for Achievement Theory is the most used theory while drawing the theoretical infrastructure of the need for achievement. In addition to this, other content theories also included the concept of the need to achieve in their models. In this direction, the aim of the study is to present a different perspective by evaluating the concept of need for achievement, which is commonly associated with entrepreneurial personality traits in the literature. In the study, first of all, previous studies in the literature on the need for achievement were evaluated conceptually and theoretically, and then the need for achievement was evaluated in terms of the employee. As a result of the literature review, it was concluded that the need for achievement is an important parameter for both individual performance and organizational commitment, as well as business performance, in addition to being an entrepreneurial personality trait. Keywords: Motivation theories, scope theories, need to achieve

An Empirical Study of Entrepreneurial Intention and Youth Entrepreneurship Policy in Hong Kong

Young entrepreneurship is the future of the economy in terms of increasing employment and creating economic value. This paper will report the milestone results of a pilot survey study on entrepreneurial intention and preparation of young people in Hong Kong with a view to explore potential recommendations to develop youth entrepreneurial policy for the Hong Kong Government. The target of this survey is those young people from 18 to 40 years old. 244 copies of valid questionnaires were collected via e-mail, face-to-face seminars and online platforms. The study was designed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and covered entrepreneurial personality traits, family background, entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial preparation, and the perception of the entrepreneurial environment in Hong Kong. Implications for education institutions and the government will be discussed finally.

Personality traits: Support for survive in pandemic Covid-19 for SMEs

Purpose – Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the Indonesian economy. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has hampered the economic sector, companies must be able to create the best market opportunities one way through which entrepreneurial personality traits and skills can influence the market and entrepreneurial orientation. Therefore, it is important to know the important role of the personality and skills of SME owners in responding to this situation. Based on this, this study aims to examine the relationship between personality traits, entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation and performance.Methodology – This study uses a survey with a structured questionnaire with a total of 103 SMEs owners in Indonesia.Findings – This study shows that the ability to negotiation skill and risk taking has a significant effect on both entrepreneurial orientation and market orientation, but optimism and locus of control have no effect on market orientation and orientation.Implications – This study promises to examine how the positive role of personality traits here can help managers view any crisis in a new perspective. As for the managerial implications a manager can use the influence of their personality to inspire and mobilize their team to work effectively to achieve common goals.Originality – This research is to provide a useful view for SMEs owners, it is important to be entrepreneurship and market oriented in order to improve SMEs performance and increase awareness of the importance and adopting new technology as an effort to deal with the Covid-19 and anticipate the economy in the future.

The practical challenges faced by young entrepreneurs: an empirical analysis

PurposeThis study proposes a new comprehensive model of entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) that enhances the understanding of the crucial entrepreneurial personality traits. This study also examines how entrepreneurial family history, gender and discipline moderate the relationship between the key entrepreneurial personality traits and EIs of university students.Design/methodology/approachThe study introduces a new combination of important entrepreneurial personality traits, theoretically following the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The data are collected using an entrepreneurial intention questionnaire and analysed with structural equation modelling (SEM) over a sample of 297 university students from Pakistan.FindingsThe findings highlight that one of the notable contributions to assessing EI is the negative impact of foreseeable challenges (FCs), resulting in negative EIs among university students of our sample. The authors also found significant moderating roles of gender, discipline and entrepreneurial family history in strengthening the relationship between entrepreneurial traits and EIs.Originality/valueThe study contributes both to the existing empirical and theoretical literature by examining a key set of entrepreneurial personality traits leading to enhance EIs. The results may also assist academicians to discover new ways for developing entrepreneurial traits among university students.

Personality trait imprints across generations: small family business context

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how the congruence between predecessor and successor personality traits (PTs) with the values of their small family business (SFB) contributes to a successful succession transition across generations.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual model method was employed in this investigation, which describes an entity and identifies issues that should be considered in a study (MacInnis, 2011). It involves a form of theorizing that seeks to create a nomological network around the focal concept, to examine and detail the causal linkages and mechanisms at play (Delbridge and Fiss, 2013).FindingsDrawing on the trait activation theory (TAT), this study conceptualizes that the congruence of the successor's PTs with those of the predecessor, as well as the values, transitions and nature of the assigned task, activates the successor's PTs and motivates him to work diligently for a successful succession transition while preserving the business's core values established by the founder.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is an eye-opener for strategists and SFB predecessors to ponder the successor's PTs disparities across generations. Additionally, it urges them to consider the congruence of SFB's values and nature of operations with the successor's PTs for successful succession transition. Thus, such awareness may contribute to stabilizing the SFB's survival rate.Originality/valueThis study contributed to the existing literature by answering how predecessor’s and successor's PTs congruence and SFB's values and nature of operations congruence with their PTs may contribute to successful succession transition across generations. This study contributed to the TAT by thematically explaining the organizational cues to bridge a relationship between entrepreneurial personality traits (EPT) and succession success of SFBs.

Work Engagement: Organizational Attribute or Personality Trait?

One of the most determining factors of work performance is the degree of engagement of people to their work. That degree of engagement is influenced by both personal and organizational factors. The objective of this research is to analyze the connection between personal characteristics and organizational attributes with the work engagement of workers. The sample consisted of 286 employed workers; 83.5% were Spanish and 16.5% belonged to other Spanish-speaking countries. The mean age was 44.51 years (SD = 8.76) and 55.2% were women. For the prediction of work engagement, a hierarchical linear regression was carried out, first introducing the variables that evaluate personal characteristics (Big Five, entrepreneurial personality, emotional intelligence, and personal happiness) and, later, variables relating to organizational attributes (happiness work and organizational climate). General personality traits (Big Five) explain 22% of work engagement, this percentage rising to 47% when entrepreneurial personality is introduced in the model. Emotional intelligence does not explain additional variance, but personal happiness does. Happiness at work and organizational climate produce a significant increase and the explained variance rises from 55% to 63% when they are included in the model. Both the variables related to the personal characteristics of the employees and variables related to the organizational attributes jointly contribute to the explanation of the degree of work engagement. Workers with high scores on entrepreneurial personality traits achieve higher levels of work engagement, finding a moderating effect of the organizational climate in the relationship between people’s autonomy and their work engagement.

INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURIAL TENDENCY AND ENTREPRENEURIAL PERSONALITY TRAITS OF STUDENTS IN THE FIELD OF HEALTH SCIENCES

This research was conducted to examine the entrepreneurial tendencies and entrepreneurial personality traits of undergraduate and associate degree students studying in the field of health sciences. The universe of the descriptive study consisted of all undergraduate and associate degree students studying in the field of health sciences at a private university in Ankara, Turkey. It was aimed to reach the whole universe without selecting a sample, while 57% of the students (n=1004) participated in the research. The data of the study were obtained by using the "Socio-demographic Characteristics Form", "Entrepreneurship Tendency Scale" and "Entrepreneurial Personality Characteristics Scale". T-test, ANOVA, Post Hoc Tukey Test, Pearson Correlation Analysis and simple linear regression analysis were employed in the analysis of the data. Students' Entrepreneurial Tendency scale score (3.11±0.32) and Entrepreneurial Personality Scale score (3.24±0.27) were found to be moderate. Significant differences were observed in the entrepreneurial tendency and entrepreneurial personality traits of the students according to age, gender, parental occupation, family economic status, geographical region and education level. It was found that there was a significant positive correlation between the entrepreneurial tendency of the students and their entrepreneurial personality traits, and that the entrepreneurial personality of the students affected the level of entrepreneurial tendency (p<0.05). This follows that an entrepreneurship course should be included in university education and students should be supported to make projects in order to increase entrepreneurship activities, which are important in social development.

Entrepreneurial personality and motive: A study of Hungarian early-stage entrepreneurs using GEM data

This study investigates the motives of Hungarian early-stage entrepreneurs and the relationship between these motives and aspects of the entrepreneurial personality. Using the 2021 GEM data, it is found that key motives for these entrepreneurs are both push and pull: ‘making a difference in the world’ and ‘earning a living because jobs are scarce’. The pull motive of ‘making a difference in the world’ is significantly correlated with positive aspects of creativity and a confidence in one’s own abilities. Conversely, the push motive of ‘earning a living because jobs are scarce’ correlates with negative aspects of a fear of failure and a lack of confidence in setting up a business. Through the correlations found between motives and entrepreneurial personality traits, a theoretical model is developed to offer future research directions. Recommendations for policymakers are put forward based upon the findings.

An empirical study on entrepreneurial traits and their impact on enterprise success

Purpose Enterprise success is driven by enterprise actions, which, in turn, is influenced by entrepreneurial behaviours. Behaviours are guided by traits. Hence, it is highly likely that personality traits of entrepreneur are critical to enterprise success. This paper aims at finding the relationship between entrepreneurial traits and enterprise success, identify underlying construct and examine how successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs differ across traits. It also attempts enterprise profiling based on these traits and test predictive validity of entrepreneurial traits on enterprise success. Design/methodology/approach In this study, 396 micro, small and medium enterprises comprising both successful and unsuccessful ones are studied together across 11 personality traits. Data was analysed using various statistical techniques like co-relation, t-test, factor analysis, cluster analysis and regression to test hypothesis and arrive at given findings. Findings This study finds there is strong positive co-relations between traits and enterprise success. It establishes that successful and unsuccessful enterprises display distinct traits and significantly differ from each other. Entrepreneurial traits affect enterprise success, and the former has significant predictive value on the later (R-squared = 0.866). Practical implications The findings have implications to entrepreneurs in relation to enriching the existing traits and inculcating new ones. Financial institutions like banks can peruse the findings and include traits and behavioural aspects in borrower selection, credit appraisal, evaluation and credit decisioning, to make it more holistic. It also generates scope for further academic research. Originality/value This study contributes to existing literature and validates existing findings. It also finds that traits are contagious in nature, together of which can be grouped to build an entrepreneurs’ traits index which exerts strong influence on enterprise success.

A social cognition perspective on entrepreneurial personality traits and intentions to start a business: Does creativity matter?

PurposeThis paper proposes and empirically assesses a social cognition conceptual model linking creativity (both artistic and scholarly), entrepreneurial personality traits, and entrepreneurial intention. Specifically, the study draws on social cognition perspectives to investigate the potential role of creativity as a mechanism underlying the relationship between entrepreneurial personality traits and entrepreneurial intention.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 194 creative nascent entrepreneurs, the study tests the proposed model using Partial Last Squares Structural Equations Modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe study reveals that, among entrepreneurial personality traits, only risk-taking propensity is positively related to entrepreneurial intention. Interestingly, while artistic creativity seems to enhance entrepreneurial intention, scholarly creativity is found to stimulate a more cautious approach toward venturing. The findings also reveal that scholarly creativity fully mediates the relationship between tolerance for ambiguity and entrepreneurial intention.Originality/valueThe study makes an original contribution by showcasing how both artistic and scholarly creativity developed in the same socially situated cognitive environment can differentially influence decision-making and the relationship between entrepreneurial personality traits and entrepreneurial intention, thus contributing to social cognition perspectives and research in entrepreneurship.

S. Leonelli, F. Masciarelli, Entrepreneurial Personality and Small Business Management. Is there a Narcissist in Every Successful Entrepreneur?, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham: UK, 2020.

Can entrepreneurial personality traits affect small business management and outcomes? If so, how and why? Leonelli and Masciarelli’s book answers these questions by offering an engaging, wide-ranging and comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon with a particular focus on entrepreneur narcissism and how it influences the various phases of small business life. Specifically, the authors analyse how “bright” and “dark” sides of entrepreneurial personality traits affect small businesses’ entrepreneurial orientation (i.e., innovativeness, risk-taking and proactiveness), innovation outcomes (product/service or process innovations) and financing (by business angels and venture capitalists). They also examine how entrepreneurial personality traits impact serial entrepreneurial behaviour (i.e., the entrepreneur’s decision to create value by founding more than one firm). Finally, implications for theory and practices are discussed.

The relationship between the personality traits of entrepreneurs and their decision-making process: the role of manufacturing SMEs’ Institutional Environment in India

The objective of the current research is to investigate and pinpoint the expected impacts of specific personality characteristics of entrepreneurs (i.e. their goalorientation and risk propensity) on the decisionmaking process concerning the growth and development of their new ventures. Moreover, it explores the mediating role of risk propensity in the relationship between the personality characteristics of entrepreneurs and their decision-making process, as well as the moderating influence of the institutional environment on the relationshipbetween risk propensity and the decision-making process of SMEs. Data has been gathered viaa single cross-sectional survey with a structured questionnaire administrated to182 Indian entrepreneurs. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) has been used to test the proposed hypotheses and analyse the empirical results of the study. The overall findings of the present study indicate that entrepreneurs’ personality traits have a considerable effect on their decisionmaking process regarding their new business models. Furthermore, the empirical evidence supports the moderating effects of the institutional environment.

Personality traits and firm innovation performance: the mediation effect of entrepreneurial innovativeness

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of entrepreneurs’ personality traits on firm innovation performance through the mediation role of entrepreneurs’ innovativeness.Design/methodology/approachThe data consist of 2,574 firms from a survey of small and medium-scale manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam, a developing and transitioning economy where SMEs constitute an integral part of the economy. The estimation results based on the structural equation model was applied to analyze the data.FindingsThe results indicate that an entrepreneur’s innovativeness is positively associated with his extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience but negatively accompanied with his neuroticism. Besides, the three traits – openness to experience, conscientiousness and extraversion have positive indirect effects, while neuroticism has a negative indirect effect on technological improvement and new technology adoption. However, the effects of agreeableness on entrepreneurial innovativeness and firm innovation performance are insignificant. In addition, the diverse backgrounds of the entrepreneur such as education and ethnics are also found to influence his innovativeness and to have indirect effects on firm innovation performance.Originality/valueThis study may contribute to the immature literature on the entrepreneurial process within SMEs by presenting empirical evidence on the relationship between entrepreneurial personality traits and firm innovation with a large sample of SMEs in Vietnam, an emerging economy where SMEs constitute an integral part of the economy.

Entrepreneurial marketing: Between entrepreneurial personality traits and business performance

Entrepreneurial marketing: Between entrepreneurial personality traits and business performance

Are voluntary international migrants self-selected for entrepreneurship? An analysis of entrepreneurial personality traits

In many countries, international migrants show a high tendency to become entrepreneurs. In the literature this has often been attributed to discrimination, ethnic networks, and sociodemographic differences. This paper examines a new explanation and argues that voluntary international migrants have a more entrepreneurial personality as a result of self-selection. An analysis of intentions, preparatory actions (n = 1,385) and long-term actions (n = 360) of skilled migrants and non-migrants confirms this hypothesis. It suggests that the relationship between voluntary international migration and entrepreneurship is mediated by a greater willingness to take risks and, to some extent, by a greater need for achievement.

The Impact of the Family Background on Students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions: An Empirical Analysis

In the current economic and social environment, a real challenge for youth is the acquisition and development of the relevant skills in entrepreneurship in order to consider entrepreneurship as a desirable employment choice. Given this aspect, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the main factors influencing students’ entrepreneurial intentions, paying particular attention to their entrepreneurial family background. Additionally, the paper aims to explore the effect of entrepreneurial family background on the relationship between effectiveness of entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention. We conducted a study where results were based on the outcomes of a survey among Romanian high school and university students in the final year (N = 617). Our four main hypotheses were tested through independent samples t-tests, correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The findings highlighted that the students with an entrepreneurial family background reported a higher entrepreneurial intention than those without such a background. The variables that positively influenced the entrepreneurial intentions of the students were entrepreneurial family background, effectiveness of entrepreneurship education, and entrepreneurial personality traits. Furthermore, this entrepreneurial family background negatively moderated the relationship between effectiveness of entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention. For this reason, emphasis should be placed on both formal and informal entrepreneurial education, which will increase the propensity of young people to choose an entrepreneurial career.