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Creative Enough to Become an Entrepreneur: A Multi-Wave Study of Creative Personality, Education, Entrepreneurial Identity, and Innovation

Author

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  • Jinyi Zhou

    (Department of Business Administration, Donlinks School of Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China)

  • Xingzi Xu

    (Department of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China)

  • Yawen Li

    (Department of Management Science and Engineering, School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China)

  • Chengcheng Liu

    (Department of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China)

Abstract

In order to sustain an innovative working style, entrepreneurs need to build unique identities. However, relatively few studies have investigated what types of individuals are more likely to construct an entrepreneurial identity. In the current study, drawing upon identity construction theory, we proposed that an important individual difference, creative personality, would have a positive impact on the construction of an entrepreneurial identity, which in turn would facilitate individuals’ work-related innovations. Education was proposed to moderate this mediating effect, in that individuals with a higher level of education would have a higher possibility of constructing an entrepreneurial identity and producing sustainable innovations. We suggested that with considerable education, creative individuals would become entrepreneurs during their career progression and harvest more work-related innovations. A multi-wave sample of 12,686 participants from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979) was used to test our hypotheses. The results indicated that creative personality, along with education, interactively predicted an individual’s entrepreneurial identity, which in turn predicted innovation. Education significantly moderated the mediating effect of entrepreneurial identity. The theoretical and practical implications were also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Jinyi Zhou & Xingzi Xu & Yawen Li & Chengcheng Liu, 2020. "Creative Enough to Become an Entrepreneur: A Multi-Wave Study of Creative Personality, Education, Entrepreneurial Identity, and Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-16, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4043-:d:358309
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Murat Yalcintas & Oyk㜠Iyigãœn & Gokhan Karabulut, 2023. "Personal Characteristics And Intention For Entrepreneurship," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 68(02), pages 539-561.
    2. José Alberto Martínez-González & Urszula Kobylinska & Desiderio Gutiérrez-Taño, 2021. "Exploring Personal and Contextual Variables of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor through the Rasch Mathematical Model," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(16), pages 1-23, August.
    3. Miguel Ángel Montañés-Del-Río & José Aurelio Medina-Garrido, 2020. "Determinants of the Propensity for Innovation among Entrepreneurs in the Tourism Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-18, June.

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