ABSTRACT
This study aims to examine the role of entrepreneurial intentions and motivations in the interplay between humane-oriented personal values and entrepreneurial behavior. Using data from 593 individuals in 2010 and 2019, we uncover how and when humane-oriented personal values (conservation and self-transcendence) lead to self-employment. Results suggest that entrepreneurial intentions function as a mechanism that triggers self-employment decisions for individuals with humane-oriented personal values and that this effect is stronger when they engage in opportunity-based entrepreneurship. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for the literature on personal values and the intention-action link.
Notes
1 Self-employment is one of the occupational definitions of entrepreneurship, along with business owners (for example, OECD, Citation2019; Stephan et al., Citation2020).
2 Conceptual definitions of the 10 basic personal values (adapted from Schwartz, 1994, and used in Schwartz, Citation2017): Power: Social status and prestige, dominance or control over people and resources; Achievement: Personal success through demonstrating competence according to social standards; Hedonism: Pleasure and sensuous gratification for oneself; Stimulation: Excitement, novelty, and challenge in life; Self-direction: Independent thought and action choosing, creating, exploring; Universalism: Understanding, appreciation, tolerance, and protection for the welfare of all people and for nature; Benevolence: Preservation and enhancement of the welfare of people with whom one is in frequent personal contact; Conformity: Restraint of actions, inclinations, and impulses likely to upset or harm others and violate social expectations or norms; Tradition: Respect, commitment, and acceptance of the customs and ideas that traditional culture or religion provides; Security: Safety, harmony, and stability of society, of relationships, and of self.
3 ELITE is the acronym for the name of the project in Spanish: Estudio longitudinal sobre el proceso de surgimiento de emprendedores de alto impacto.