THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET: A PROCLIVITY FOR IMPROVISATION
Keith M.
Hmieleski, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Andrew C.
Corbett, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Principal Topic
Due to various environmental constraints and cognitive limitations, a substantial portion of entrepreneurial action takes place in the form of improvisation. This is to say that entrepreneurs are often required to move forward and make important decisions “in the moment” with the aid of little, if any, formal planning or analysis. Considering the centrality of improvisation in the entrepreneurial process, the current study attempts to explore whether individuals exhibiting a proclivity for improvisation display a tendency toward self-selecting themselves into the field of entrepreneurship. To this end, a measure of improvisation is developed and contrasted with other relevant individual difference measures in regard to the dependent measures of intent to start a business and extent of venture growth strategy.
Method
The sample for this study consisted of approximately 600 adult students. Each participant completed a two-part questionnaire comprised of items relating to improvisation, the Big Five dimensions of personality (i.e., agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, openness, and neuroticism), decision-making style, cognitive style, self-efficacy, locus of control, Machavilianism, risk-taking, tolerance for ambiguity, need for autonomy, intent to start a business, and extent of firm growth strategy. Participants completed the improvisation and entrepreneurial intention items on two separate occasions in order to test the temporal stability of these measures.
Results and Implications
The results indicate that propensity for improvising explains a significant amount of variance in entrepreneurial intentions. Perhaps most interestingly, improvisation was found to explain more variance in entrepreneurial intentions than decision-making style, cognitive style, self-efficacy, locus of control, Machavilianism, risk-taking, tolerance for ambiguity, need for autonomy, or any dimension of the Big Five. These results suggest that a proclivity for improvisation is an integral part of the entrepreneurial mindset. Important implications are discussed in terms of entrepreneurship research, practice, and education.
CONTACT: Keith Hmieleski, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Lally School of Management & Technology, Troy, NY 12180-3590; (T) 518-276-8271; hmielk@rpi.edu
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