Beyond entrepreneurial intentions: values and motivations in entrepreneurship

Abstract

The role of values and motivations in understanding the entrepreneurial cognitive process deserves closer attention. So far, the predominant approach has been studying the entrepreneurial intention. This has been a very fruitful avenue of research. However, there is still much to be known to fully understand how the decision to start a venture is formed, and how the individual acts to implement that decision. Values and motivations are closely related, since both of them are linked to the notion of goals. The higher the importance attached to a goal, the more likely the person will form action plans to achieve it. In this paper, we present some ideas on how values and motivations could be integrated into the predominant entrepreneurial intention model. Firstly, we propose that values may help to explain the formation of intention antecedents (e.g., attitudes), and also moderate their effect on the entrepreneurial intention. Secondly, we point to the possibility that values and motivations may also play a role in the intention–action link. In particular, they may be instrumental in overcoming the barriers and obstacles toward effective start-up. In addition, this paper is also an introduction to the special issue, and we present the four papers selected to be included and highlight some of the most interesting aspects of their contributions.