Entrepreneurial intention or intentions? An empirical investigation on Douglas’ conceptualization

Objectives: This work investigates the motivational and regulatory processes surrounding the entrepreneurial intentionality. By relying on Douglas (2013) conceptualization, our aim is to shed light on the motivational processes lying at the bottom of the two types of intention, namely growth intentions, and independence intentions. Further, we look at the self employment intentions in order to understand whether commonalities exist in the motivational subprocesses with respect to the aforementioned intentions. Prior works: in carrying out this study, we have focused our attentions on achievement goal motivation, and regulatory modes. We have followed Carsrud and Brännback (2011) argumentation stating that the individual motivation is an important issue to address in order to understand the nexus intention-behavior. In this vein, we have investigated whether the different types of intention are related with different approaches of achievement goal motivation, namely mastery approaches; performance approaches; and avoidance approaches. Further, we have followed recent developments in entrepreneurship showing how self-regulatory modes might be key components of the entire entrepreneurial process (Amato, Baron, Barbieri, & Pierro, 2016). Specifically, we have looked at the locomotion mode and assessment mode to understand whether they are connected differently with growth intentions, independence intentions, and self employment intentions. Approach: In a sample of 66 undergraduates, we administered a structured questionnaire at the beginning of an elective entrepreneurship education program. Results: Findings show that growth intentions, independence intentions, and self employment intentions have different motivational and self-regulatory patterns of correlations. Growth intentions correlates with a performance approach and locomotion. Independence intentions correlate only weakly with an avoidance approach. Self employment intentions correlates with a mastery approach and locomotion. Implications and Value: This study shows that the tree types of intention lie upon three different motivational and regulatory approaches. This findings contribute to shed light on the contradictory results regarding the nexus intentions and behavior. According to the goal-setting theory, in fact, both mastery and performance approaches are usually strongly related to a task execution, while avoidance approaches are usually associated with disangagement behaviors. Further, we show that the fact that people are locomotors has an impact on their entrepreneurial intentions. These results, taken together, bring empirical evidence to the Douglas’s conceptualization of entrepreneurial intentions, supporting the need of considering a fine-grained operationalization of this construct.