Evolution of Entrepreneurship Development Among Different Generations in Adopting Technology in Malaysia: Towards a Reconciliation for Collaboration

This book chapter explores the evolution of entrepreneurship development among different generations in Malaysia. In particular, their entrepreneurial behaviour, technology adoption, and risk-taking attitude. The SMEs in Malaysia have been the backbone of the country’s economy where the government has been supportive towards the growth of the businesses. Aside from the development of SMEs, the Malaysian government has also been pushing for more entrepreneurial startups. This can be seen from the government policy, NEP 2030, with the vision to make Malaysia an entrepreneurial country and scaling up SMEs. While studies are mainly focused on understanding the consumers of different generations, lack of attention has been given to investigate entrepreneurial differences among different generations in Malaysia. Although some studies have examined the generational differences among entrepreneurs, little do we know how such differences can influence technology adaptation in business – which plays a crucial and necessary role in today’s business world that is driven by technology and digitisation. Therefore, we review these four generations that are the current workforce – Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z, towards the development of entrepreneurship to observe the transition that took place across the generations. We then close the book chapter by proposing collaborations among different generations in embracing the future in staying agile.