Entrepreneurship and the characteristics of the entrepreneurial personality

Littunen H International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, Vol. 6 No. 6, 2000

Can becoming an entrepreneur impact enough to alter personality characteristics?

Littunen (2000) monitors entrepreneurs from 1992 to 1996 to identify changes over time in
their achievement motivation and locus of control. The impacts of the entrepreneurs
personal and professional relationships on these personality characteristics is also looked
into.

“Personality characteristics are formed by the interplay between the individual and the
environment.

Entrepreneurship defined

Defines entrepreneurship as: “activities connected with owning and managing a business”
(Luttunen 2000) in contrast to McClelland’s 1966 broader definition which focused upon
entrepreneurial occupations. Defined as positions in which the individual has “responsibility
for decisions and their effects-that is, without review or assistance of a supervisor or
committee” (McClleland).

Enntrepreneurs and the need for achievement

The need for achievement is defined as

Resources under his/her control

McClelland (1966) established that the need for achievement “predisposes young men to
enter entrepreneurial occupations or to function in traditional entrepreneurial ways”
(McClleland. 392).

Locus of control theory

___ cited evidence which indicates that the locus of control is

Developments in locus of control theory

Littunen feels that these

Achievement motivation and locus of control

Mastery

Work ethic

Pursuit of excellence

Dominance

Internal locus of control

Chance

Impacts of powerful others

Summarise the major arguments made by the author

This article attempts to understand how undertaking entrepreneurship affects personality

characteristics and the impacts of casual and formal relationships. Littunen (2000)

Littunen assets than an internal locus of control is

The link to entrepreneurship and an internal locus of control was made by

The trait model and contingency thinking

McClelland’s (1961) theory of the need to achieve.

Rotter’s (1966) Locus of control theory

his paper examines the character traits and impacts on relationships that occurs when
undertaking entrepreneurship.

The current state of knowledge on this area – START WITH EXISTING ARTICLE THEN
BUILD WITH OTHER ARTICLES

Characteristics essential for starting out include the willingness to act and innovativeness.

Innovativeness means the ability to produce solutions in new situations.

The characteristics of a typical successful entrepreneur are the ability to take risks,
innovativeness, knowledge of how the market functions, manufacturing know-how,
marketing skills, business management skills , and the ability to co-operate

INVESTIGATE SOURCE OF THESE CHARACTERISTICS: Carson, 198

Although the thrust of literature on the topic of entrepreneurship is often focused upon
identifying the individuals particular character traits

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