Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of culture in artisan entrepreneurship. It is argued that culture plays a critical role in entrepreneurial behaviour as culture is a key determinant of what it means to be a person. The concept of culture is explored from a micro level of analysis therefore, conceptualising culture from the perspective of the individual entrepreneur’s personality. The main research question being investigated within this paper is: whether artisan entrepreneurs share common personality traits with other entrepreneur groups, using the five factor model (FFM) of personality as the basis of the conceptual model presented herein. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review on the emerging field of artisan entrepreneurship, followed by a review of the literature on personality theory and entrepreneurship. Then, drawing upon the FFM of personality, a conceptual framework is introduced which proposes a relationship between the Big Five personality traits and four dimensions of artisan entrepreneurship such as cultural heritage, community entrepreneurship, craftsmanship and innovation, developed from concepts derived from extant literature. Findings: The theoretical contribution is in the form of propositions. Four propositions have been formulated around the entrepreneurial personality of artisan business owners for each of the four dimensions: cultural heritage, community entrepreneurship, craftsmanship and innovation. Originality/value: The paper is the first to propose a relationship between the Big Five personality dimensions and the likelihood of starting and/or running a business among an entrepreneur group rather than explaining personality differences among entrepreneur and non-entrepreneur groups. The focus of the paper is specifically on artisan entrepreneurs and it has been proposed that the personality trait of agreeableness is important in the decision to start a cultural-based business. It has also been proposed that artisan entrepreneurs possess personal characteristics of openness to newness and openness to innovation that are integral to regional development.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 615-632 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 4 Jun 2019 |
Keywords
- Personality traits
- Artisan
- entrepreneurial intentions
- Entrepreneurship
- Psychology
- Entrepreneurial intention
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business, Management and Accounting (miscellaneous)