Using Redundancy Analysis To Explain Intentions To Participate In Incubators: A Gender Perspective

A key support mechanism for early-stage entrepreneurs is business incubator programs, which provide tailored assistance and a conducive work environment for new business development. However, incubators are not created equal in terms of their effectiveness and reach. Extant research on business incubation is also largely gender-neutral. In addition, a scholarly gap exists when it comes to our understanding of the cognitive, behavioral and socio-cultural barriers to incubation and entrepreneurship. This research contributes to filling this gap by designing a pre-experiential behavioral intention model rooted in social psychology theories to explain the entrepreneur’s intention to participate in incubation programs. A multidimensional construct of perception and its underlying dimensions (e.g., usefulness, ease of use and self-efficacy) is developed and tested. Studying 344 early-stage entrepreneurs, it is found that perceived utility and ease of use relate to the decision to join an incubation program. Furthermore, when female entrepreneurs are not convinced whether incubation programs are beneficial considering their use and access, they are less likely to join incubation. Our empirical results highlight the need for adopting behavioral interventions and inclusionary best practices to expand the effect of business incubation programs.