The effects of entrepreneurial role model and effectuation on entrepreneurial intention

Abstract

The influence of entrepreneurial role model on entrepreneurial intention has garnered increasing attention, yet the existing literature lacks comprehensive research on how role model enhances entrepreneurial intention through the shaping of individual effectual thinking. Drawing on effectuation theory, this study examines the impact of entrepreneurial role model on entrepreneurial intention using a sample of 582 college students in China. The results of PLS-SEM analyses reveal a positive effect of entrepreneurial role model on entrepreneurial intention. Specifically, effectuation, comprising four dimensions—flexibility, affordable loss, pre-commitments, and experimentation—mediates the direct relationship between entrepreneurial role model and entrepreneurial intention. Additionally, goal orientation is found to negatively moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial role model and effectuation, while entrepreneurial self-efficacy positively moderates this relationship. Entrepreneurial resilience positively moderates the relationship between effectuation and entrepreneurial intention, and personality traits such as openness and extraversion both positively moderate the relationship between effectuation and entrepreneurial intention. This study extends the literature on the impact of entrepreneurial role model by proposing that the model enhance individual entrepreneurial intention by shaping effectual thinking logic. It offers a theoretical explanation for the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which entrepreneurial role model influence entrepreneurial intention, providing valuable insights for educators and practitioners on how to cultivate effectual thinking in individuals and enhance their entrepreneurial intentions.

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