Having a creative day: Understanding entrepreneurs' daily idea generation through a recovery lens

Prior research has shown that trait creativity is important for becoming an entrepreneur and successful in business. We explore a new perspective by investigating how recovery from work stress influences entrepreneurs' daily idea generation, a key aspect of creativity. Physiological and mental recovery enables the cognitive processes of creative problem-solving. Moreover, differences in mental recovery processes help to explain age-related changes in entrepreneurs' creativity. Multilevel analyses based on 415 daily data from 62 entrepreneurs support our predictions. Our study introduces a new “state” perspective to understanding entrepreneurs' creativity, and highlights the critical role of recovery processes for idea generation.     

Entrepreneurs’ achieved success: developing a multi-faceted measure

Firm performance is typically measured via objective financial indicators. However, researchers increasingly acknowledge that entrepreneurs do not measure their success solely in financial terms but that a range of often subjective indicators matter to them. This article contributes to the debate on entrepreneurial performance by studying how entrepreneurs assess their achieved success. ‘Entrepreneurs’ achieved success’ was conceptualized as a multi-faceted construct that includes entrepreneurs’ self-reported achievement of firm performance, workplace relationships, personal fulfilment, community impact, and personal financial rewards. It was measured via the Subjective Entrepreneurial Success–Achievement Scale (SES-AS). Over the course of three studies (N?=?390) the factorial structure of ‘entrepreneurs’ achieved success’ was established and largely replicated in two cultures. Based on a nomological network, we documented relationships among ‘entrepreneurs’ achieved success’, quasi-objective indicators of firm performance, and entrepreneurs’ financial satisfaction, creativity, and health. Based on our research, we propose a new conceptual framework to study performance in the context of entrepreneurship. This framework acknowledges both the success criteria that entrepreneurs wish to achieve and those that they actually achieve, and extends our understanding of firm performance.

     

“Think entrepreneur - think male”: a task and relationship scale to measure gender stereotypes in entrepreneurship

Building on the think manager – think male paradigm, this study tested the psychometric properties of an “Entrepreneurial Task and Relationship” (ETR) scale to assess gender stereotypes in entrepreneurship. The sample was composed of 1056 non-entrepreneurs and 178 entrepreneurs. Non-entrepreneurs rated the characteristics of: 1) a successful entrepreneur (n = 348); 2) a successful female entrepreneur (n = 360); and 3) a successful male entrepreneur (n = 348). Entrepreneurs rated to what extent they ascribe themselves entrepreneurial characteristics. Results revealed psychometric adequacy of a two-dimensional 13-item ETR scale to be invariant across different study conditions, non-entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, as well as male and female participants. As with management, entrepreneurship is perceived as strongly associated with task orientation. The think entrepreneur – think male paradigm applies to entrepreneurship, highlighting the need for more awareness of gender stereotypes in that context. Implications of our study can be derived on entrepreneurship education and towards policy makers and media to promote a non-stereotyped image of entrepreneurship and foster this career option, particularly among women.