What drives an entrepreneur to remain in a paid job? Explaining heterogeneityi among hybrid entrepreneurs
- Principal Topic: Hybrid entrepreneurs, individuals working in a paid job while simultaneously being self-employed (Folta et al. 2010), seem to receive increasing scholarly attention in entrepreneurship research. Since they tend to be more risk-averse and have less entrepreneurial experience than non-hybrid entrepreneurs (Folta et al. 2010; Raffiee & Feng, 2014), the general proposition in research remains to view hybrid entrepreneurs as a homogenous group who mainly use hybridity for testing before transitioning into full-time self-employment. However, we show that considering a broad diversity of motives to stay in a paid job will reveal heterogeneity among hybrid entrepreneurs. Furthermore, since different motives tend to be associated with varying performance outcomes (Deci & Ryan, 2000), we demonstrate that heterogeneity among hybrid entrepreneurs relates to differences in performance and innovativeness. Method: We employed a start-up panel dataset (2013 – 2018) from the Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research toPrincipal Topic: Hybrid entrepreneurs, individuals working in a paid job while simultaneously being self-employed (Folta et al. 2010), seem to receive increasing scholarly attention in entrepreneurship research. Since they tend to be more risk-averse and have less entrepreneurial experience than non-hybrid entrepreneurs (Folta et al. 2010; Raffiee & Feng, 2014), the general proposition in research remains to view hybrid entrepreneurs as a homogenous group who mainly use hybridity for testing before transitioning into full-time self-employment. However, we show that considering a broad diversity of motives to stay in a paid job will reveal heterogeneity among hybrid entrepreneurs. Furthermore, since different motives tend to be associated with varying performance outcomes (Deci & Ryan, 2000), we demonstrate that heterogeneity among hybrid entrepreneurs relates to differences in performance and innovativeness. Method: We employed a start-up panel dataset (2013 – 2018) from the Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research to evaluate practically relevant combinations of motives derived from theory to empirically identify natural clusters among hybrid entrepreneurs by estimating a latent class logit model. Secondly, we use panel regression analyses to test whether these three classes compared to full-time entrepreneurs differ concerning their financial and innovative performance measured in profit, sales, and innovativeness as separate dependent variables. Hereby, we control for demographics, experience, and industry. Results and Implications: We were able to identify three dominant types among hybrid entrepreneurs: opportunists, transitioners, and networkers. Moreover, performance differences exist between these three classes as well as compared to full-time entrepreneurs. We observe that opportunists are associated with higher short-term profits than full-time entrepreneurs. At the same time, networkers and transitioners seem to engage in more innovative activities than opportunists and full-time entrepreneurs. We contribute to current research on potential mechanisms causing hybrid entrepreneurship, showing that hybrid entrepreneurs should not be considered a homogeneous group. Furthermore, we contribute to entrepreneurship literature by demonstrating that heterogeneity among hybrids exists when considering motives to remain in a paid job, which is associated with differences in performance and innovativeness.…
Author: | Alexandra S. Hofmockel, Vivien D. ProcherORCiD, Diemo UrbigORCiD, Sandra Gottschalk |
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ISBN: | 978-0-910897-00-6 |
Title of the source (English): | Frontiers of entrepreneurship research 2022: Proceedings of the forty-second annual Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference |
Publisher: | Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship |
Place of publication: | Babson Park, Massachusetts |
Document Type: | Conference publication peer-reviewed |
Language: | English |
Year of publication: | 2022 |
First Page: | S. 166 |
Faculty/Chair: | Fakultät 5 Wirtschaft, Recht und Gesellschaft / FG ABWL, insbesondere empirische Unternehmensforschung und Transformation |