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Tall Poppy Syndrome: Implications for entrepreneurship in New Zealand

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  • Kirkwood, Jodyanne

Abstract

The Tall Poppy Syndrome (TPS) of knocking high achievers is often described as being ingrained in New Zealand's culture. This study interviews 40 entrepreneurs to explore how TPS impacts on entrepreneurs. Internationally, New Zealand is considered to be a highly entrepreneurial country. Thus TPS and an entrepreneurial culture appear to co-exist. Over half of the participants had experienced TPS in their role as entrepreneurs and their individual strategies for managing its impact included 'staying under the radar', not telling people they owned a business and not ‘flaunting’ their wealth. This study suggests that the effects of TPS may have significant implications for entrepreneurship in New Zealand. Firstly, TPS may discourage entrepreneurs from starting a business. Secondly, people who have experienced a business failure may be reluctant to establish another business because of the public reaction to their 'fall'. Finally, entrepreneurs may deliberately limit business growth because they don't want to attract attention. Potential ways of reducing the impact of TPS on entrepreneurs include celebrating entrepreneurial success more visibly, highlighting realistic role models for people to aspire to and emphasising the hard work and risk that entrepreneurs take to achieve success.

Suggested Citation

  • Kirkwood, Jodyanne, 2007. "Tall Poppy Syndrome: Implications for entrepreneurship in New Zealand," Journal of Management & Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(4), pages 366-382, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jomorg:v:13:y:2007:i:04:p:366-382_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Artur Raimundo Dias & Aurora A.C. Teixeira, 2014. "The Anatomy of Business Failure. A Qualitative Account of its Implications for Future Business Success," FEP Working Papers 550, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    2. Kirkwood, Jodyanne & Gray, Brendan, 2009. "From entrepreneur to mayor: Assessing the impact of the founder’s changing reputation on Hubbard Foods Ltd," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 115-124.
    3. Gottschalk, Sandra & Greene, Francis J. & Höwer, Daniel & Müller, Bettina, 2014. "If you don't succeed, should you try again? The role of entrepreneurial experience in venture survival," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-009, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    4. Singh, Smita & Corner, Patricia Doyle & Pavlovich, Kathryn, 2015. "Failed, not finished: A narrative approach to understanding venture failure stigmatization," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 150-166.
    5. Chong Kyoon Lee & Johan Wiklund & Alejandro Amezcua & Tae Jun Bae & Almantas Palubinskas, 2022. "Business failure and institutions in entrepreneurship: a systematic review and research agenda," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 1997-2023, April.
    6. Greene, Francis, 2012. "Should the focus of publicly provided small business assistance be on start-ups or growth businesses?," Occasional Papers 12/2, Ministry of Economic Development, New Zealand.

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