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Transitioning to an entrepreneurial career as a process of individuation: a study of graduate entrepreneurs in Ethiopia and the role of their parents
Jönköping University, Jönköping International Business School, JIBS, Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership (CeFEO). Department of Management, College of Business and Economics, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6551-0536
Jönköping University, Jönköping International Business School, JIBS, Business Administration. Jönköping University, Jönköping International Business School, JIBS, Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership (CeFEO).ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3998-1515
Jönköping University, Jönköping International Business School, JIBS, Business Administration. Jönköping University, Jönköping International Business School, JIBS, Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership (CeFEO).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2748-8830
Department of Management, College of Business and Economics, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1914-3154
2024 (English)In: International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, ISSN 1355-2554, E-ISSN 1758-6534, Vol. 30, no 11, p. 420-445Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Purpose

In the process of pursuing an entrepreneurial career, the role of the relational institution of the family depends on the economy in which the institutions are embedded. In emerging economies, parents play a more significant role concerning their children’s career in contrast to those in developed ones. In this respect, there is limited knowledge regarding the process of pursuing an entrepreneurial career while simultaneously handling parental relations in a context that does not support entrepreneurship. This paper investigates how parental dynamics influences the process of an individual’s transition to an entrepreneurial career after graduating from a university in a developing country.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a longitudinal study of 15 graduate entrepreneurs in Ethiopia who were in the process of transitioning to entrepreneurial careers. Data was collected and analysed during a two and a half year period (2018–2020) drawing on 45 interviews with, and observations of, these entrepreneurs, and six interviews with parents.

Findings

The paper identifies patterns of how entrepreneurs embedded with or dis-embedded themselves from their parental relations as they developed their ventures. The findings show that there were shifts in the entrepreneur–parent relational dynamics from the pre-startup phase to the up and running phase. Drawing on these findings, the paper develops a theoretical framework of graduates’ transitioning to entrepreneurship as a process of individuation from parental relations. Further, we find that parents are both the context and the agents in the entrepreneurial process and that the graduates’ pursuit of entrepreneurial careers is instrumental for their individuation process. The findings contribute to the literature on family embeddedness in entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship career literature and individuation theory.

Originality/value

Answering the call for research on family embeddedness in entrepreneurship, this paper explores the role of parental dynamics when a family member transitions to an entrepreneurial career after graduating from a university. The study proposes and shows how individuation theory is a relevant perspective for understanding graduates’ transition to entrepreneurial careers.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2024. Vol. 30, no 11, p. 420-445
Keywords [en]
Graduate entrepreneurs, Graduate entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial career, Family embeddedness, Parental relations, Individuation, Ethiopia
National Category
Business Administration
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-66750DOI: 10.1108/ijebr-06-2023-0568ISI: 001368054000001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85211091223Local ID: HOA;intsam;66750OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hj-66750DiVA, id: diva2:1920183
Funder
Sida - Swedish International Development Cooperation AgencyAvailable from: 2024-12-10 Created: 2024-12-10 Last updated: 2024-12-17Bibliographically approved

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Hellerstedt, KarinBrundin, Ethel

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