Thesis
Entrepreneurial development : towards understanding the motivational purpose of developmental relationships in the entrepreneurial process
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2013
- Thesis identifier
- T13543
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- Venture performance can be improved by establishing a support environment that motivates entrepreneurs to pursue growth. This thesis introduces social motivation theories as a way of understanding the influence of developmental relationships in the current entrepreneurial process. This is important, as current entrepreneurial literature on developmental relationships lacks clarity. There are currently a wide range of terms used to describe different dyadic relationships, many used within a different context from multiple fields. I examine literature from social psychology and management studies to explore whether it is relevant for the entrepreneurial context. I do this by presenting a typology of developmental relationships obtainable to an entrepreneur, based on the motivational purpose each gives. The three categories proposed are: (1) idols, those that inspire an individual; (2) social developers, those that accept and develop the entrepreneur in a social context; and (3) nurturers, those who personally develop the entrepreneur through skill development and psychosocial roles. I take a qualitative approach to explore the motivation entrepreneurs receive from these developmental relationships. I do this by studying 8 cases of entrepreneurs, their companies and the relationships that they draw from. This approach allows for theory to be induced from the analysis of empirical data, which gives a deeper understanding to the purpose each developmental relationship has to the entrepreneur. The main findings of this study support the presence and influence of the proposed three categories of developmental relationships. It also emerged that entrepreneurs recognise two types of idols: a) generic idols, which are typically famous, and b) specific idols, which are more relevant to the individual aspirations of the entrepreneur. Two types of nurturers were also revealed: a) those that provided professional assistance, and b) those that provided emotional support. This study has implications for future research and policy-makers as it provides a theoretical framework in which the understanding of developmental relationships can be used to improve the entrepreneurial support environment.
- Resource Type
- DOI
- Date Created
- 2013
- Former identifier
- 1001074
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