How Entrepreneurs Achieve Purpose Beyond Profit: The Case of Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria

Harry G. Barkema (), Uta K. Bindl () and Lamees Tanveer ()
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Harry G. Barkema: Department of Management, London School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom
Uta K. Bindl: HRM Department, King’s Business School, King’s College London, London WC2B 4BG, United Kingdom
Lamees Tanveer: Department of Management, London School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom

Organization Science, 2024, vol. 35, issue 3, 1042-1071

Abstract: This paper investigates how entrepreneurs achieve a sense of purpose or, more precisely, eudaimonic well-being —the experience of a good and meaningful life. We explore this in the context of women entrepreneurs participating in a business training program in Nigeria. Specifically, we conduct mixed-methods research, starting with an inductive qualitative Study 1 of what eudaimonic well-being means for these entrepreneurs. We find that, in the context of their enterprises, eudaimonic well-being implies opportunities to experience self-cultivation, mastery, social recognition, and to benefit others in the community. Unexpectedly, the women in our study also experience eudaimonic well-being related to their households. These initial insights inform theory in Study 2 on how enterprise-related learning (i.e., acquiring and assimilating knowledge regarding the enterprise) and household-related learning (acquiring and assimilating knowledge regarding the household) influence their eudaimonic well-being, itself driven by strong social ties with other women entrepreneurs in the training program. Hypotheses testing through a quantitative study of 484 women entrepreneurs in Nigeria over time corroborates the theory. Our research provides a contextualized perspective of “purpose” in entrepreneurship and how to achieve it: by developing strong social ties, enabling enterprise- and household-related learning, women entrepreneurs in our context initiate greater eudaimonic well-being, beyond improving firm performance.

Keywords: Well-being; Purpose; Mixed-methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:35:y:2024:i:3:p:1042-1071

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