Conflict handling styles as predictors of entrepreneurial intentions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gentrit Berisha ◽  
Besnik Krasniqi ◽  
Justina Shiroka-Pula ◽  
Enver Kutllovci

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the relationship between conflict handling styles (CHS) of business managers in their entrepreneurial intentions (EI). The business manager’s propensity to become entrepreneurs is a relatively unexplored area of research. The relationship between conflict handling style and entrepreneurial intention is under-researched, particularly in a developing country like Kosovo. Design/methodology/approach A self-report questionnaire containing measures of conflict handing style, entrepreneurial intention and demographics was delivered to business managers in Kosovo. Findings Forcing style has a positive and statistically significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention. Yielding, compromising, problem solving and avoiding have weak and insignificant effects on EI. Research limitations/implications The relationship between conflict handling styles of managers and their entrepreneurial intention is investigated. No situational, organizational or environmental factor was considered influencing this relationship. Practical implications Conflict management is important in predicting the entrepreneurial intention of managers. Organizations should design human resource interventions aimed at effective team composition and employee retention to ensure performance. Originality/value This is the first study to investigate the relationship between conflict handling style and entrepreneurial intention using a manager sample. Furthermore, it is the first study of conflict handling styles and entrepreneurial intention of managers in Kosovo.

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Zacher ◽  
Heiko Schulz

Purpose – In many countries, both the number of older people in need of care and the number of employed caregivers of elderly relatives will increase over the next decades. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which perceived organizational, supervisor, and coworker support for eldercare reduce employed caregivers’ strain and weaken the relationship between eldercare demands and strain. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected from 100 employed caregivers from one organization. Findings – Results showed that eldercare demands were positively related to strain, and perceived organizational eldercare support (POES) was negatively related to strain. In addition, high POES weakened the relationship between eldercare demands and strain. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional design and use of self-report scales constitute limitations of the study. Practical implications – POES is a resource for employed caregivers, especially when their eldercare demands are high. Originality/value – This research highlights the relative importance of different forms of perceived support for reducing employed caregivers’ strain and weakening the relationship between eldercare demands and strain.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasir Tanveer ◽  
Qi Jiayin ◽  
Umair Akram ◽  
Anum Tariq

Purpose Conflicts are inevitable in organizations and are a significant challenge for frontline managers (FLMs). This study aims to investigate the relationship between the leadership styles of FLMs and relationship conflicts (RLCs), with the indirect intervention of emotion regulation (ER) and five conflict-handling styles (CHSs). Design/methodology/approach Research data were obtained from 243 FLMs in the Pakistan textile industry. SPSS 23 and PROCESS macros software were used to test and verify hypotheses regarding leadership styles, ER, CHSs and RLC. The authors conducted 5,000 bootstrap replications to verify mediation. Findings Leadership styles are significantly associated with RLC. A high degree of ER can negatively moderate RLCs through transformational leadership (TFL) and transactional leadership (TCL) styles and positively moderate RLCs through a laissez-faire leadership (LZF) style. Among CHSs, a compromise style mediates the relationship between RLC and the TFL and LZF styles, and a domination style mediates the relationship between RLC and the TCL style. Practical implications FLMs should be trained to overcome workplace interpersonal conflicts. Appropriate cognizance of a conflict before it occurs is a requisite skill. FLMs must be able to use all five given CHSs. Originality/value This study identifies the association of leadership styles with CHSs and ER to manage RLC in a non-Western context. The study enhances understanding of the use of the ER factor with the different CHSs of FLMs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1259-1279
Author(s):  
Susanne Schlepphorst ◽  
Elizabeth C. Koetter ◽  
Arndt Werner ◽  
Christian Soost ◽  
Petra Moog

PurposeDrawing on human capital (HC) and social capital (SC) as well as the Jack-of-all-trades theory, this paper aims to clarify the relationship between international assignments (IAs) of employees and their entrepreneurial intentions. The study proposes that such IAs provide specific environmental features which may enable employees to build up diverse skills and network relations conducive to entrepreneuship.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data using an online survey, targeting professionals and managers in Germany and Switzerland. They used 223 complete responses. Before data collection, they ensured the suitability of their questionnaire by employing well-tested scales and consulted independent experts in survey design and methodology. They tested their hypotheses by applying multiple mediation modeling.FindingsAs hypothesized, the authors find empirical evidence that diverse skills and network relationships as well as poor career prospects, positively mediate the relationship between IAs and entrepreneurial intentions of employees.Research limitations/implicationsWe applied simple random and the snowball sampling method. Our approach involved the use of headhunters, international employers and relocation companies as multipliers.Practical implicationsOur results have practical implications for employees and employers. Employees on international assignments can proactively pursue opportunities in order to utilize the acquired experiences and resources for taking up entrepreneurial activities. Employers can try to retain these employees to facilitate (international) corporate entrepreneurship.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical study to highlight the entrepreneurial ambitions of international assignees. It thus provides initial insights into this topic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 805-823
Author(s):  
Tahar Lazhar Ayed

PurposeThis study aims to assess the effectiveness of entrepreneurial education (EE) through its impact on the predictor of behavior, which is entrepreneurial intention (EI), by studying the context of a Saudi university, in this case, Umm Al Qura University (UQU). The research theorizes a relationship between EE, innovativeness (INN) as a dimension of personality traits (PTs), and EI, mediated by entrepreneurial motivation (EM). Additionally, in this study, INN played a mediator role between EE and EI.Design/methodology/approachAll direct and indirect effects were tested using a quantitative approach. A sample of 240 undergraduate UQU students from different specialties was applied. UQU is witnessing an unprecedented movement that seeks to spread entrepreneurial culture throughout the educational system as a whole, following the recommendations of the Kingdom's 2030 vision.FindingsThe results indicate that EE and INN significantly predicted EI, though in an uneven manner. However, EM played a significant mediator role only between INN and EI. INN is a significant mediator in the relationship between EE and EI.Practical implicationsFuture entrepreneurs must learn how to think, communicate, solve problems, deal with failure and exploit new opportunities. However, the debate over the contribution of EE to entrepreneurs is continuing. All educators, government officials, members of society and others are involved in encouraging entrepreneurial initiative. They should consider and understand how to affect entrepreneurial feasibility and desirability.Originality/valueVariables included in the research model are not original; however, rarely in recent research works have psychological variables such as EM and INN been integrated into one model to explain the intention to enterprise business. This study provides a well-supported explanation of intention as a good predictor of entrepreneurial behavior that will be useful to all involved in encouraging potential entrepreneurs to succeed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Perez-Quintana ◽  
Esther Hormiga ◽  
Joan Carles Martori ◽  
Rafa Madariaga

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between sex, gender-role orientation (GRO) and the decision to become an entrepreneur. Because of the fact that gender stereotypes have influences on the preferences and choices of individuals in their career, this research proposes the following objectives: to determine the existence of gender stereotypes that have an influence on human behaviour and specially in this research context; to measure the GRO of each individual; and, finally, to analyze the relationship between the entrepreneurial intention, the sex and the GRO of participants. Design/methodology/approach Based on a questionnaire, this study follows the Bem Sex-Role Inventory methodology to perform an analysis by means of the multiple regression model. This study uses two different samples of 760 students who attend business administration and management undergraduate programs. Findings The outcomes show that GRO is a better predictor of the decision to become an entrepreneur than biological sex. Moreover, the results for the whole sample confirm the relationship between masculine and androgynous GRO with entrepreneurial intention, whereas there is also evidence of feminine GRO when we consider only women. Research limitations/implications In line with previous studies that link GRO and entrepreneurship, in this paper, the authors have analyzed business administration students’ view to draw conclusions. The next step is to apply the gender perspective to advance in the analysis of the features that characterize business managers. Likewise, it is interesting to continue the study of gender social construction in entrepreneurship focusing on the discourse used by entrepreneurs or in the media. Practical implications The conclusions of this study are relevant for educators and trainers of future entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurial archetype evolves from masculinity to androgyny. This may help women entrepreneurial intentions. Emphasizing androgynous traits is a way to disable male stereotype domination and threat. This possibility is open, not only for educators who have the ability to improve this perception but also for media, advertising companies and women to push and value female entrepreneurship. Social implications The implicit dynamism in GROs leads to the possibility of changes in workplace views and especially in entrepreneurship as a career option. In this way, it is possible that the general belief that the company owners are men may change. Improving women entrepreneurs’ social visibility, which acts as “role models” may increase female entrepreneur intention. Moreover, emphasis on the androgynous entrepreneur traits in forums at different levels of education, in entrepreneur training activities, will certainly increase the women entrepreneur intention if they perceive they have positively valued traits for entrepreneurship. Originality/value Selecting 31 items related with the entrepreneur person, this work tests empirically their gender categorization. This procedure allows to measure participants’ GRO following the four gender categories and classify them by sex. Finally, the authors analyze the influence the GRO and sex exert over entrepreneurial intention and provide empirical evidence in favour that GRO is a more robust variable to predict entrepreneurial intention than sex, and androgynous GRO is the most influential category on entrepreneurial intention.


2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Innocent Otache ◽  
Kadiri Umar ◽  
Yakubu Audu ◽  
Ugbede Onalo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to employ a longitudinal approach to assess the effects of entrepreneurship education (EE) on students’ entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) through the constructs of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), which include attitudes towards behaviour (ATB), subjective norms (SN) and perceived behavioural control (PBC). Specifically, this study aims to achieve two objectives: first, to determine if students’ ATB, SN, PBC and EIs would increase significantly after their exposure to EE; and second, to establish whether students’ ATB, SN and PBC mediate the relationship between EE and their EIs. Design/methodology/approach This longitudinal study employed a one-group pretest-posttest experimental research design. A self-reported questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample of 250 National Diploma students from five polytechnics in the North Central part of Nigeria before and after they were exposed to EE. To achieve the objectives of this study, repeated-measures t-test and partial least squares structural equation modelling were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and SmartPLS, respectively, for data analysis. Findings The results of the paired-samples t-test showed that students’ ATB, SN, PBC and EIs increased significantly after their exposure to EE. Also, further data analysis revealed that EE had a significantly positive relationship with students’ ATB, SN, PBC and EIs. Similarly, the results of the structural model indicated that ATB had a significantly positive link with students’ EIs and also mediated the relationship between EE and students’ EIs. SN and PBC had a positive but not statistically significant relationship with students’ EIs and did not mediate the relationship between EE and students’ EIs. Practical implications The findings of this study provide interesting implications for EE and entrepreneurship policies in Nigeria. More specifically, the findings provide some practical implications for the Nigerian government and the EE curriculum developers. To achieve greater impact of EE on students’ EIs at the tertiary education level, the Nigerian government should incorporate EE into the curricula at the primary and secondary education levels. Equipping students at the primary and secondary education levels with entrepreneurial knowledge, competencies and skills would enable them to develop a strong entrepreneurial mindset even before they gain admission to tertiary institutions. Originality/value It is one of the few studies that have tested empirically both the direct and the indirect effects of EE on students’ EIs in a single study. Thus, it helps to further clarify the links between EE and EIs. Besides, it is among the first studies to adopt a longitudinal approach to assess the effects of EE on students’ EIs through the constructs of the TPB (i.e. ATB, SN and PBC) in the Nigerian context.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy Siew Chen Sim ◽  
Joshua Edward Galloway ◽  
Hazel Melanie Ramos ◽  
Michael James Mustafa

Purpose Drawing on institutional theory, this paper seeks to untangle the relationship between university support for entrepreneurship and students’ entrepreneurial intentions. Specifically, this study aims to examine whether entrepreneurial climates within universities mediate the relationship between university support for entrepreneurship and students’ entrepreneurial intention. Design/methodology/approach Empirical data is drawn from 195 students across three Malaysian higher education institutions. Partial least squares procedures are used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings Findings show that no element of university support for entrepreneurship had a direct effect on students’ entrepreneurial intentions. However, the entrepreneurial climate was found – to mediate the relationship between perceived business and concept development support and students’ entrepreneurial intentions. Originality/value This study represents one of the few efforts in the literature considering the role of entrepreneurial climates within universities in influencing students’ entrepreneurial intention. In considering the mediating role of entrepreneurial climate, in the relationship between university support for entrepreneurship and students’ entrepreneurial intentions, this study provides a complementary and contextualised perspective, to existing studies, which have traditionally focussed on the mediating role of individual attributes. Doing so provides further evidence of entrepreneurial universities in fostering entrepreneurship.


2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 663-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuo-Pin Yang ◽  
Hsin-Hua Hsiung ◽  
Yu-Jen Chiu

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend the attitudinal approach to entrepreneurial intentions by using a structural analysis to explore overlooked personal values as the antecedents of entrepreneurial attitude. Based on the widely adopted value system proposed by Schwartz, this study argues that while one cluster of personal values is positively correlated with entrepreneurial attitude that leads to entrepreneurial intention, another cluster of personal values is negatively correlated with entrepreneurial attitude. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaire responses obtained from a sample of 276 MBA were analyzed using structural equation models to examine the influences of values on entrepreneurial intentions via entrepreneurial attitude. Findings – The results of this study demonstrate that personal values of self-direction, stimulation, achievement, and universalism are all positively correlated with entrepreneurial attitude, which together constitute a comfort zone for entrepreneurship, whereas values in the opposite end of the circumplex including benevolence, tradition, conformity, security, and power are negatively correlated with entrepreneurial attitude. The values that discourage the formation of an entrepreneurial attitude also counter the positive effect of entrepreneurial attitude on intention, making the relationship between entrepreneurial attitude and intention contingent upon value conflicts. Originality/value – This study regards entrepreneurship as a career development and contributes to the entrepreneurship study by differentiating the influences of a vital construct, i.e., personal values, which should not be regarded as a universalism. The value circumplex with a comfort and discomfort zone developed by this study can serve as a platform to help build the view on entrepreneurial intentions in terms of personal values.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 694-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeid Karimi ◽  
Harm J.A. Biemans ◽  
Thomas Lans ◽  
Mohammad Chizari ◽  
Martin Mulder

Purpose – This paper aims to, drawing on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), explore the effects of entrepreneurial role models on entrepreneurial intention (EI) and its antecedents and examines the question of whether the effects vary by gender. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from a sample of 331 students at seven universities in Iran. Structural equation modelling and bootstrap procedure were used to analyse the data. Findings – Consistent with the TPB, our results show entrepreneurial role models to indirectly influence EIs via the antecedents of intention. No gender differences in the relationship between perceived behaviour control and EIs were found, but gender did moderate the other relationships within the TPB. Attitude towards entrepreneurship was a weaker predictor and subjective norms a stronger predictor of EIs for female students than for their male counterparts. Furthermore, perceived behaviour control and attitudes towards entrepreneurship were more strongly influenced by role models for females as opposed to male students. Research limitations/implications – Future studies should go beyond examining the mere fact of knowing entrepreneurial role models to examine the mechanisms underlying the relationship between role models and EIs. Practical implications – The results of this study have clear implications for both educators and policymakers. Originality/value – The study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by incorporating entrepreneurial role models and gender into the TPB and investigating their mediating and moderating effects within the model.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-52
Author(s):  
Alexis A. Adams-Clark ◽  
Marina N. Rosenthal ◽  
Jennifer J. Freyd

Purpose Although prior research has indicated that posttraumatic stress symptoms may result from sex-based harassment, limited research has targeted a key posttraumatic outcome – dissociation. Dissociation has been linked to experiences of betrayal trauma and institutional betrayal; sex-based harassment is very often a significant betrayal creating a bind for the target. The purpose of this paper is to extend existing research by investigating the relationship between sex-based harassment, general dissociation, sexual dissociation and sexual communication. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory study utilized self-report measures from a sample of male and female Oregon residents using Amazon Mechanical Turk (N=582). Findings Results of regression analyses indicated that harassment statistically predicted higher general dissociation, higher sexual dissociation and less effective sexual communication, even after controlling for prior sexual trauma experiences. Results did not indicate any significant interactions between gender and harassment. Practical implications When considering the effects of sex-based harassment on women and men, clinicians and institutional organizations should consider the role of dissociation as a possible coping mechanism for harassment. Originality/value These correlational findings provide evidence that sex-based harassment is uniquely associated with multiple negative psychological outcomes in men and women.


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