Type of entrepreneur, type of firm, and managerial motivation: Implications for organizational life cycle theory

Miner Sentence Completion Scale measures of managerial motivation for a sample of Oregon entrepreneurs were compared with interview data on entrepreneur and firm type using a system of differentiation derived from the Enterprising Man (Collins, Moore and Unwalla, 1964) research. Certain relationship...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Strategic management journal 1983-10, Vol.4 (4), p.325-340
Main Authors: Smith, Norman R., Miner, John B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural management
Applied sciences
Authority figures
Bureaucracy
Business management
Business structures
Corporate bureaucracy
Entrepreneurs
Exact sciences and technology
Firm modelling
Management education
Management principles
Management styles
Managers
Middle management
Motivation
Operational research and scientific management
Operational research. Management science
Opportunistic behavior
Roles
Statistical analysis
Studies
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Summary:Miner Sentence Completion Scale measures of managerial motivation for a sample of Oregon entrepreneurs were compared with interview data on entrepreneur and firm type using a system of differentiation derived from the Enterprising Man (Collins, Moore and Unwalla, 1964) research. Certain relationships between aspects of managerial motivation and firm expansion and growth were found. In addition, the overall level of managerial motivation among the entrepreneurs relative to corporate managers was found to be low, and the previously noted association between an opportunistic entrepreneurial type and growth-oriented firms was confirmed. These findings are discussed in the context of organizational life cycle theory with special reference to the early stages of transition from entrepreneurial to bureaucratic forms and various typologies of entrepreneurs. It appears that under certain circumstances growth may not require a shift in leadership style, but that in some important respects entrepreneurial and bureaucratic systems are managerially distinct.
ISSN:0143-2095
1097-0266
DOI:10.1002/smj.4250040404