Navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurial identity threats to persist: The countervailing force of a relational identity with God

Brett R. Smith, Amanda Lawson, Saulo Dubard Barbosa and Jessica Jones

Journal of Business Venturing, 2023, vol. 38, issue 4

Abstract: While an economic paradigm has been productive for entrepreneurship, religion has been proposed as an alternative rationality to advance research in our field. To extend a theological turn in entrepreneurship and identity research, our study inductively develops a conceptual model that explains how individuals navigate entrepreneurial identity threats based on the interaction between a relational identity with God (RIG) and an entrepreneurial identity to persist in entrepreneurial action. Our study suggests this can happen when entrepreneurs engage in inter-identity work mechanisms - affirming and humbling - to mitigate these identity threats. Specifically, a relational identity with God acts as a countervailing force to an entrepreneurial identity during times of identity threats to generate inter-identity meaning change, resulting in interidentity stability and entrepreneurial persistence. Through our study, we advance knowledge on the theological turn in entrepreneurship and identity by inductively developing theory on a new religious identity construct (RIG), elaborating theory of inter-identity work by shifting the focus from structural to content changes, and extending theory on entrepreneurial action, persistence, and well-being based on theological rather than economic considerations.

Keywords: Identity work; Inter-identity work; Entrepreneurial identity; Relational identity; Mental health; Well-being; Religion; Entrepreneurial action; Entrepreneurial persistence; Success; Failure; Theological turn (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:38:y:2023:i:4:s0883902623000319

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2023.106317

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