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

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

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Smith, Brett R. & Lawson, Amanda & Dubard Barbosa, Saulo & Jones, Jessica, 2023. "Navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurial identity threats to persist: The countervailing force of a relational identity with God," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 38(4).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:38:y:2023:i:4:s0883902623000319
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2023.106317
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    References listed on IDEAS

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