Entrepreneurial passion and the big five: Impact on entrepreneurial behavior

Abstract

Although there has been a long history of research linking personality traits and entrepreneurship, this interchange has provided inconsistent results without a definitive entrepreneurial trait profile. In this research, the relationship between entrepreneurial passion (EP) for inventing and entrepreneurial behavior was investigated by exploring the moderating effects of personality as conceptualized by the Big Five Personality Traits. Results provided evidence that the personality traits of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and extraversion moderated the relationship between EP and entrepreneurial behavior. Individuals with a high level of conscientiousness, agreeableness, or extraversion exhibited a higher likelihood of entrepreneurial behaviors. The moderation effect of agreeableness was most pronounced at low levels of EP with this effect dissipating as the level of passion rises to a high level. A significant contribution of this research is a greater understanding as to what characteristics and processes increase the likelihood of a person to undertake entrepreneurial behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications of study findings as well as limitations and future research directions were discussed.