Entrepreneur-Region Fit and Entrepreneurial Success in China: The Effect of “Confucian” Personality

Abstract

The personality of entrepreneurs is associated with their entrepreneurial success, and the regional personality plays a crucial role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Recently, scholars have called for an indigenous personality perspective and combining the personality of entrepreneurs with the regional personality. The current study aimed to investigate the indigenous Confucian personality (e.g., interpersonal relatedness [IR]) and taking an entrepreneur-regional personality fit perspective, allowing testing how entrepreneurs interact with the local ecosystem. Using the personality data of entrepreneurs (N = 1,386) from a representative sample across 42 major cities in China, we found that (1) city-level IR is curvilinearly correlated with the annual income of entrepreneurs, with moderate IR associates with the highest income; and (2) the entrepreneur-regional fit analysis further revealed substantial interplay between an entrepreneur and the city. Specifically, entrepreneurs who have moderate IR and run their business in the city also with moderate IR are most likely to have the highest income. This study highlights the usefulness of investigating indigenous personality and the fit perspective in entrepreneurship research.

The impact of environment on college students' entrepreneurial intention based on the mediating effect of personality traits

“…On the other hand, the risk of entrepreneurship is also higher. Moreover, regional personality plays a crucial role in the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem (Zhou et al, 2021 ). The college students in this study mainly come from Henan Province, which is located in central China, where the local economy relatively lags behind.…”

“…College students whose parents own companies or industries have a higher entrepreneurial intention (Gimenez et al, 2015 ). Some studies also argue that family plays a decisive role in the prediction of entrepreneurial intention (Zhou et al, 2021 ). Stronger family entrepreneurial atmospheres mean higher entrepreneurial willingness of college students (Wei and Li, 2013 ).…”

Confucian ideal personality traits (Junzi personality) and leadership effectiveness: Why leaders with traditional traits can achieve career success in modern China

“…Additionally, Confucian traditional values were found to be positively associated with organizational engagement and work performance (Yang, 2004). Some region‐level studies demonstrated that people living in regions with stronger Confucian cultures showed significantly more entrepreneurship (Chen & Qiu, 2021) and entrepreneurial success (Zhou et al, 2021). These findings suggest that a Junzi leader performs better than a non‐Junzi leader at an individual level.…”