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Act or Wait-and-See? Adversity, Agility, and Entrepreneur Wellbeing across Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Ute Stephan
  • PrzemysÅ‚aw Zbierowski
  • Ana Pérez-Luño
  • Dominika Wach
  • Johan Wiklund
  • Marisleidy Alba Cabañas
  • Edgard Barki
  • Alexandre Benzari
  • Claudia Bernhard-Oettel
  • Janet A. Boekhorst
  • Arobindu Dash
  • Adnan Efendic
  • Constanze Eib
  • Pierre-Jean Hanard
  • Tatiana Iakovleva
  • Satoshi Kawakatsu
  • Saddam Khalid
  • Michael Leatherbee
  • Jun Li
  • Sharon K. Parker
  • Jingjing Qu
  • Francesco Rosati
  • Sreevas Sahasranamam
  • Marcus A. Y. Salusse
  • Tomoki Sekiguchi
  • Nicola Thomas
  • Olivier Torrès
  • Mi Hoang Tran
  • M.K. Ward
  • Amanda Jasmine Williamson
  • Muhammad Mohsin Zahid

Abstract

How can entrepreneurs protect their wellbeing during a crisis? Does engaging agility (namely, opportunity agility and planning agility) in response to adversity help entrepreneurs safeguard their wellbeing? Activated by adversity, agility may function as a specific resilience mechanism enabling positive adaption to crisis. We studied 3162 entrepreneurs from 20 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that more severe national lockdowns enhanced firm-level adversity for entrepreneurs and diminished their wellbeing. Moreover, entrepreneurs who combined opportunity agility with planning agility experienced higher wellbeing but planning agility alone lowered wellbeing. Entrepreneur agility offers a new agentic perspective to research on entrepreneur wellbeing.

Suggested Citation

  • Ute Stephan & PrzemysÅ‚aw Zbierowski & Ana Pérez-Luño & Dominika Wach & Johan Wiklund & Marisleidy Alba Cabañas & Edgard Barki & Alexandre Benzari & Claudia Bernhard-Oettel & Janet A. Boekhorst & A, 2023. "Act or Wait-and-See? Adversity, Agility, and Entrepreneur Wellbeing across Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(3), pages 682-723, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:47:y:2023:i:3:p:682-723
    DOI: 10.1177/10422587221104820
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