Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Linking creativity with entrepreneurial intentions: A structural approach

  • Published:
The International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The article presents a preliminary model, which links creativity with entrepreneurial intention. Model formulation is based on a random survey of students from two engineering schools. Model parameter estimation is supported by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Extensive statistical analysis demonstrated model and parameter validity. Results indicate that student’s self-perception of creativity and a family environment that promotes creative thinking can predict increased levels of entrepreneurial intention. Moreover, the present study argues that the contemporary university environment does not promote entrepreneurial intention through the development of creative thinking. The article ends with discussion and conclusion of the results and overview of research limitations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ajzen, I. (1987). Attitudes, traits, and actions: Dispositional prediction of behavior in personality and social psychology. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology, 20 (pp. 1–63). New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amabile, T. M. (1983). The social psychology of creativity. Berlin Heidelberg New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity and innovation in organizations. Teaching note, no. 9, 396–239, Harvard Business School.

  • Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 411–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andrianopoulos, C. (2001). Determinants of organisational creativity: A literature review. Management Decision, 39, 834–840.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arbuckle, J. L. (1999). Amos (version 4.01) [computer software]. Chicago: SmallWaters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ardichvili, A., Cardozo, R., & Ray, S. (2003). A theory of entrepreneurial opportunity identification and development. Journal of Business Venturing, 18, 115–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barth, T. J. (1993). Career anchor theory. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 13, 27–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumgartner, H., & Homburg, C. (1995). Applications of structural equation modelling in marketing research: A review. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 13, 139–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumol, W. J. (1993). Entrepreneurship, management and the structure of payoffs. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bird, B. (1988). Implementing entrepreneurial ideas: The case for intention. Academy of Management Review, 13, 442–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bull, I., & Willard, G. E. (1993). Towards a theory of entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 8, 193–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Busenitz, L. W. (1999). Entrepreneurial Risk and strategic decision making: It’s a matter of perspective. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 35, 325–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bygrave, W. D. (1991). The portable MBA in entrepreneurship. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cromie, S. (2000). Assessing entrepreneurial inclinations. Some approaches and empirical evidence. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 9, 7–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cropley, A. J. (2001). Creativity in education & learning: A guide for teachers and educators. London, UK: Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Bono, E. (1996). Serious creativity. London: HarperCollins Business.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drucker, P. F. (1984). Our entrepreneurial Economy, Harvard Business Review, HBS Number: 84105.

  • Engle, D. E., Mah, J. J., & Sadri, G. (1997). An empirical comparison of entrepreneurs and employees: Implications for innovation. Creativity Research Journal, 10, 45–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Falat, M. (2000). Creativity as a predictor of “good” coping? Studia Psychologica, 42, 317–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, D. C., & Bolino, M. C. (2000). Career patterns of the self employed: Career motivations and career outcomes. Journal of Small Business Management, 38(3), 53–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, D. H., Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Gardner, H. (1994). Changing the world: A framework for the study of creativity. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Florida, R. (2002). The rise of the creative class: And how it’s transforming work, leisure, community and everyday life. New York: Basic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibb, A. (1996). Entrepreneurship and small business management: Can we afford to neglect them in the 21st century business school? British Journal of Management, 7, 309–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibb, A. (2002). In pursuit of a new ‘enterprise’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ paradigm for learning: Creative destruction, new values, new ways of doing things and new combinations of knowledge. International Journal of Management Reviews, 4, 233–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaglio, C. M. (1997). Opportunity identification: Review, critique and suggested research directions. In J. A. Katz (Ed.), Advances in entrepreneurship, firm emergence and growth, 3 (pp. 139–202). Greenwich, Connecticut: JAI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hills, G. E. (1995). Opportunity recognition by successful entrepreneurs: A pilot study. In Frontiers of entrepreneurship research. Wellesley, Massachusetts: Babson College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hills, G. E., Lumpkin, G. T., & Singh, P. R. (1997). Opportunity recognition: Perceptions and behaviors of entrepreneurs. In Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research. Wellesley, Massachusetts: Babson College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isaksen, S. G., & Murdock, M. C. (1990). The outlook for the study of creativity. An emerging discipline? Studia Psychologica, 32(1–2), 53–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, M., & Hunter, J. (1993). Relationships among attitudes, intentions and behavior. Communication Research, 20, 331–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirzner, I. (1997). Entrepreneurial discovery and the competitive market process. An Austrian approach. Journal of Economic Literature, 35, 60–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, N. F. Jr. (1993). The impact of prior entrepreneurial exposure on perceptions of new venture feasibility and desirability. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 18(1), 5–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, N. F. Jr., & Brazeal, D. V. (1994). Entrepreneurial potential and potential entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 18(3), 91–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, N. F. Jr., Reilly, M. D., & Carsrud, A. L. (2000). Competing models of entrepreneurial intention. Journal of Business Venturing, 15, 411–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S. Y., Florida, R., & Acs, Z. J. (2004). Creativity and entrepreneurship: A regional analysis of new firm formation. Regional Studies, 38, 879–891.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S. H., & Wong, P. K. (2004). An exploratory study of technopreneurial intentions: A career anchor perspective. Journal of Business Venturing, 19, 7–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Louw, L., van Eeden, S. M., Bosch, J. K., & Venter, D. J. L. (2003). Entrepreneurial traits of undergraduate students at selected South African tertiary institutions. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 9, 5–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lumpkin, G. T., Hills, G. E., & Shrader, R. C. (2003). Opportunity recognition. In H. P. Welsch (Ed.), Entrepreneurship: The way ahead (pp. 73–90). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacCallum, R. C., Browne, M. W., & Sugawara, H. M. (1996). Power analysis and determination of sample size for covariance structure modelling. Psychological Methods, 1, 130–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, C. H., & Moser, S. B. (1996). A longitudinal investigation of the impact of family background and gender on interest in small firm ownership. Journal of Small Business Management, 34, 29–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • McQuity, S. (2004). Statistical power and structural equation modeling in business research. Journal of Business Research, 57, 175–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miner, J. B., Smith, N. R., & Bracker, J. S. (1994). Role of entrepreneurial task motivation in the growth of technically innovative firms: Interpretations from follow-up data. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79, 627–630.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nunnally, J. (1978). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Proctor, R. A. (1991). The importance of creativity in the management field. British Journal of Management, 2, 223–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, P. D. (1997). Who start new firms?—Preliminary explorations of firms-in-gestation. Small Business Economics, 9, 449–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodermund, E. S. (2004). Pathways to successful entrepreneurship: Parenting, personality, early entrepreneurial competence and interests. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65, 498–518.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A., & Albert, R. S. (1990). Theories of creativity. Newbury Park, California: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sagie, A., & Elizur, D. (1999). Achievement motive and entrepreneurial orientation: A structural analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20, 375–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schein, E. H. (1978). Career dynamics: Matching individual and organizational needs. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shalley, C. E., & Gilson, L. L. (2004). What leaders need to know: A review of social and contextual factors that can foster or hinder creativity. Leadership Quarterly, 15, 33–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shane, S., & Venkataraman, S. (2000). The promise of entrepreneurship as a field of research. Academy of Management Review, 25, 217–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shapero, A. (1982). Social dimensions of entrepreneurship. In C. A. Kent, D. L. Sexton, & K. H. Vesper (Eds.), The encyclopaedia of entrepreneurship (pp. 72–90). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shook, C. L., Ketchen, D. J. Jr., Hult, G. T. M., & Kacmar, K. M. (2004). An assessment of the use of structural equation models in strategic management research. Strategic Management Journal, 25, 397–404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • StatSoft Inc. (2001). STATISTICA (data analysis software system), v. 6.

  • Sternberg, R. J., & Lubart, T. L. (1999). The concept of creativity: Prospects and paradigms. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of creativity (pp. 3–15). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, R. J., O’Hara, L. A., & Lubart, T. I. (1997). Creativity as investment. California Management Review, 40(1), 8–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strzalecki, A. (2000). Creativity in design. General model and its verification. Technological forecasting and Social Change, 64, 241–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torrance, E. P., & Safter, T. H. (1999). Making the creative leap beyond. Buffalo, New York: The Creative Education Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Treffinger, D. J., Isaksen, S. G., & Dorval, B. K. (2000). Creative problem solving: An introduction (3rd ed.). Waco, Texas: Prufrock.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vesper, K. H., & Gartner, W. B. (1997). Measuring the progress in entrepreneurship education. Journal of Business Venturing, 12, 403–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, C. K., & Wong, P. (2004). Entrepreneurial interest of university students in Singapore. Technovation, 24, 163–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitlock, D. M., & Masters, R. J. (1996). Influences on business students’ decisions to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities or traditional career paths, SBIDA, San Diego, CA: Small Business Institute Director’s Association.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technological Education Institute of Crete, and Research Scientist Management Systems, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece

    Leonidas A. Zampetakis

  2. Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece

    Vassilis Moustakis

Authors
  1. Leonidas A. Zampetakis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vassilis Moustakis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leonidas A. Zampetakis.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zampetakis, L.A., Moustakis, V. Linking creativity with entrepreneurial intentions: A structural approach. Entrepreneurship Mgt. 2, 413–428 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-006-0006-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-006-0006-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation