Entrepreneurial motivation refers to the driving forces that inspire individuals to start and grow their own businesses.
Studying this concept is crucial as it helps identify factors that encourage entrepreneurship, which is vital for economic growth, innovation, and job creation.
Understanding these motivations can inform policies and programs to support aspiring entrepreneurs effectively.
Ghasemijalal, R., José, M., & Sora, B. (2024). Relationships among workaholism, personality, obsessive beliefs, and entrepreneurial motivation. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1503580. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1503580
Key Points
- Entrepreneurial motivation is related to personality traits, particularly perfectionism, intolerance of uncertainty, conscientiousness, work enjoyment, and agreeableness.
- Perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty are most strongly related to entrepreneurial motivation.
- Family security, independence/autonomy, and intrinsic motivation are key dimensions of entrepreneurial motivation.
- Workaholism and obsessive beliefs also show relationships with entrepreneurial motivation.
Rationale
Understanding the factors that shape entrepreneurial motivation is crucial for developing effective strategies to support and foster entrepreneurship.
Previous research has identified various predictors of employee creativity and entrepreneurial behavior, including family security, motivation, and entrepreneurial intentions (Murnieks et al., 2020).
However, the complex interplay between personal characteristics, behaviors, and entrepreneurial motivation remains underexplored (Carsrud & Brännback, 2011).
This study aims to provide insights into the underlying factors that influence entrepreneurial motivation by examining the relationships between workaholism, personality traits, obsessive beliefs, and different dimensions of entrepreneurial motivation.
By investigating these relationships, the research contributes to the existing literature and offers practical implications for supporting aspiring entrepreneurs.
Method
Procedure
The study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Participants completed a series of questionnaires measuring workaholism, personality traits, obsessive beliefs, impulsivity, and entrepreneurial motivation.
Sample
The sample consisted of 1,106 Spanish employees (48.51% male, 51.49% female) with a mean age of 42.49 years (SD = 11.25).
Participants were recruited from various organizations, including multinationals (7.41%), SMEs (71.24%), cooperatives (0.92%), and public administration (20.43%).
Measures
- Dutch Work Addiction Scale (DUWAS)
- Workaholism Battery (WorkBAT)
- Overall Personality Assessment Scale (OPERAS)
- Inventory of Obsessive Beliefs (ICO)
- Impulsivity Inventory (DII)
- Entrepreneurial Motivation Scale (EM)
Statistical measures
The study used Pearson’s correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis with stepwise method to examine the relationships between variables.
Results
Hypothesis 1: The variables Workaholism, Personality, Impulsivity, and Obsessive Beliefs are related to Family Security.
Results: Partially supported. Perfectionism and Intolerance of Uncertainty (ICO.PE), Conscientiousness (OP.CO), and Work Enjoyment (WbEN) were significantly related to Family Security, explaining 13.8% of the variance.
Hypothesis 2: The variables Workaholism, Personality, Impulsivity, and Obsessive Beliefs are related to Independence and Autonomy.
Results: Partially supported. Perfectionism and Intolerance of Uncertainty (ICO.PE), Work Enjoyment (WbEN), and Agreeableness (OP.AG) were significantly related to Independence and Autonomy, explaining 13.5% of the variance.
Hypothesis 3: The variables Workaholism, Personality, Impulsivity, and Obsessive Beliefs are related to Intrinsic Motivations.
Results: Partially supported. Perfectionism and Intolerance of Uncertainty (ICO.PE) and Work Enjoyment (WbEN) were significantly related to Intrinsic Motivations, explaining 13.8% of the variance.
Insight
This study provides valuable insights into the complex relationships between personal characteristics and entrepreneurial motivation.
The findings suggest that certain personality traits and work-related attitudes, particularly perfectionism, intolerance of uncertainty, and work enjoyment, play a significant role in shaping entrepreneurial motivation.
These results extend previous research by highlighting the importance of considering a broader range of individual differences when examining entrepreneurial behavior.
The strong relationship between perfectionism and entrepreneurial motivation is particularly noteworthy, as it suggests that individuals with high standards and a drive for excellence may be more inclined towards entrepreneurial pursuits.
This finding aligns with the idea that entrepreneurs often strive for continuous improvement and innovation in their ventures.
The study also sheds light on the multidimensional nature of entrepreneurial motivation, considering family security, independence/autonomy, and intrinsic motivation as distinct but related aspects.
This nuanced approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of what drives individuals to pursue entrepreneurial careers.
Future research could explore how these personality factors and motivations interact with environmental and situational variables to influence entrepreneurial success.
Additionally, longitudinal studies could examine how these relationships evolve over time and across different stages of the entrepreneurial journey.
Implications
The findings of this study have several practical implications for supporting and fostering entrepreneurship:
- Entrepreneurship education programs could incorporate assessments of personality traits and work attitudes to help identify individuals with high entrepreneurial potential.
- Support services for aspiring entrepreneurs could be tailored to address different motivational factors, such as family security or independence, based on individual profiles.
- Mentoring programs could focus on helping entrepreneurs harness their perfectionist tendencies productively while managing potential drawbacks like burnout or excessive risk aversion.
- Policymakers could design incentives and support structures that appeal to different motivational drivers, potentially increasing the diversity of individuals pursuing entrepreneurial careers.
- Incubators and accelerators could use insights about work enjoyment to create environments that foster both productivity and satisfaction among entrepreneurs.
- Career counselors could use these findings to guide individuals with certain personality profiles towards entrepreneurial opportunities that align with their motivations and strengths.
Implementing these recommendations may face challenges such as the need for specialized assessment tools and trained professionals to interpret personality profiles in the context of entrepreneurship.
Additionally, care must be taken to avoid stereotyping or limiting opportunities based on personality assessments alone.
Strengths
This study had several methodological strengths, including:
- Large sample size (N = 1,106) providing good statistical power
- Use of validated psychometric instruments to measure key constructs
- Consideration of multiple dimensions of entrepreneurial motivation
- Inclusion of participants from diverse organizational backgrounds
- Examination of a wide range of potential predictor variables
Limitations
This study also had several limitations, including:
- Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences
- Reliance on self-report measures may introduce common method bias
- Sample limited to Spanish employees, potentially limiting generalizability
- Relatively low variance explained by the regression models (13.5-13.8%)
- Lack of consideration of environmental or contextual factors influencing entrepreneurial motivation
References
Primary reference
Ghasemijalal, R., José, M., & Sora, B. (2024). Relationships among workaholism, personality, obsessive beliefs, and entrepreneurial motivation. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1503580. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1503580
Other references
Carsrud, A., & Brännback, M. (2011). Entrepreneurial motivations: What do we still need to know? Journal of Small Business Management, 49, 9-26.
Murnieks, C. Y., Klotz, A. C., & Shepherd, D. A. (2020). Entrepreneurial motivation: A review of the literature and an agenda for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 41, 115-143.
Socratic Questions
- How might cultural differences impact the relationships between personality traits and entrepreneurial motivation? How could this study be adapted to explore cross-cultural variations?
- The study found relatively low variance explained by the regression models. What other factors might contribute to entrepreneurial motivation that were not captured in this research?
- How might the relationship between perfectionism and entrepreneurial motivation change across different stages of a business venture? Could perfectionism be both a benefit and a hindrance to entrepreneurs?
- The study focused on employees rather than current entrepreneurs. How might the results differ if the sample consisted of individuals who had already started their own businesses?
- What ethical considerations should be taken into account when using personality assessments to inform entrepreneurship support programs or policies?
- How might the rise of the gig economy and digital entrepreneurship impact the relevance of these findings? Are there new dimensions of entrepreneurial motivation that should be considered in light of changing work landscapes?
- The study found a relationship between work enjoyment and entrepreneurial motivation. How might this insight be applied to foster entrepreneurship in traditionally less enjoyable or more stressful industries?
- Given the limitations of self-report measures, what alternative methods could be used to assess entrepreneurial motivation and related constructs more objectively?
- How might the findings of this study inform approaches to team formation in entrepreneurial ventures? Could complementary personality profiles lead to more successful startup teams?
- The study examined impulsivity as a potential factor, but it did not emerge as significant in the final models. How might impulsivity or related constructs like risk-taking propensity play a role in entrepreneurial behavior beyond initial motivation?
