Relation between Entrepreneurial Curiosity and Entrepreneurial Self-efficacy: a Multi-Country Empirical Validation

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to present empirical analysis of the relation between entrepreneurial curiosity and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. a detailed literature review in a broad field of entrepreneurship, narrow field of entrepreneurship psychology, and organizational sciences revealed, at one hand different connections between determinants influencing entrepreneurs, and latest scientific research trends on the other hand. although the significance of curiosity in motivating and learning has received expressive scholarly support, like also entrepreneurial self-efficacy as one of the most studied personal attributes among entrepreneurs, no study to our knowledge existed in relation to entrepreneurial curiosity connected with entrepreneurial self-efficacy. an online multi-country survey was conducted in slovenia and usa among entrepreneurs and results of structural equation modelling showed that entrepreneurial curiosity and entrepreneurial self-efficacy are related. entrepreneurial curiosity has a positive impact on entrepreneurial self-efficacy of running entrepreneurial tasks. The findings of this research have both theoretical and practical implications.

An Empirical Study of the Relationship between Entrepreneurial Curiosity and Innovativeness

“…Entrepreneurial curiosity is an interest in novelties or observations of society and a tendency to search for answers that indicate which demands should be met and it also represents guidance and competitive advantages for entrepreneurs relative to the competition (Jeraj and Marič, 2013a). Entrepreneurial curiosity is awake, when an entrepreneur is facing different stimulus related to the entrepreneurship in the environment (Jeraj and Prodan 2010).…”

“…On the other site entrepreneurial curiosity was connected to entrepreneurial self-efficacy (Jeraj and Marič, 2013a); to openness and firm growth (Jeraj, 2014). Since both researched constructs in this paper, entrepreneurial curiosity and innovativeness are important elements of entrepreneurship and both were connected to other entrepreneurship parts.…”

The Relationship between Optimism, Pre-Entrepreneurial Curiosity and Entrepreneurial Curiosity

“…Another study of Jeraj and Marič (2013a) indicated positive relationship between entrepreneurial curiosity and entrepreneurial self-efficacy measured on an international sample of entrepreneurs from Slovenia and USA, where was entrepreneurial curiosity, as also entrepreneurial selfefficacy a good predictor for entrepreneurial intentions. Further, on the one hand Luthans and Youssef (2004) suggest that individuals possessing the combination of selfefficacy, optimism, hope, and resiliency tend to be endowed with high levels of psychological capital, on the other hand Jensen and Luthans (2006) studied the link between entrepreneurs' positive psychological capital and leadership approach Marič et al, 2013), which was found as grounded.…”

“…Entrepreneurial curiosity is an interest in novelties or observations of society and a tendency to search for answers that indicate which demands should be met and it represents guidance and competitive advantages for entrepreneurs relative to the competition (Jeraj and Marič, 2013a). Entrepreneurial curiosity is awake, when an entrepreneur is facing different stimulus related to the entrepreneurship in the environment (Jeraj and Prodan 2010).…”

“…In this manner the strongest source of entrepreneurial optimism is likely to be selection combined with representativeness: people don't become entrepreneurs by accident but because they perceive that they have a project that dominates their other career choices although entrepreneurial projects are typically highly uncertain; because of their novelty, there is very little evidence on which to base future expectations (Landier and Thesmar, 2009). Thus recent studies on the field of entrepreneurial psychology show that also entrepreneurial curiosity (Jeraj and Marič, 2013a) is a good predictor for entrepreneurial intentions. This paper establishes a theoretical and empirical relation between two important psychological determinants influencing entrepreneurs in their professional life.…”