The role of passion in driving entrepreneurial behaviours and performance

This thesis provides an original contribution towards the understanding of the role of entrepreneurial passion in the context of entrepreneurial behaviours and business performance. It develops a conceptual framework by integrating two seminal theories in the field of passion, namely the dualistic model of passion and the theory of entrepreneurial passion. This theoretical model, involving relationships between entrepreneurial passion (harmonious and obsessive) and entrepreneurial behaviours, which in turn are linked to business performance, is empirically tested using data from 218 Russian small and medium organisations. The findings confirmed that both harmonious and obsessive entrepreneurial passion lead to high levels of engagement, persistence and opportunity creation behaviours. As expected, the effects of obsessive entrepreneurial passion were generally stronger. The study concluded that entrepreneurs who are more engaged in entrepreneurial activities are likely to derive better performance results. Similarly, the more entrepreneurs create opportunities, the more likely their business performance will improve. On the contrary, persistence was found to have no effect on business performance, meaning that no matter how persistent entrepreneurs may be in entrepreneurial activities, this will not affect business performance. In addition to that, post-hoc mediation analysis revealed that engagement and opportunity creation behaviours fully mediate the obsessive entrepreneurial passion – business performance relationship. This thesis is an attempt to advance the conceptualisation and position of the passion construct in the literature by demonstrating its important outcomes within an entrepreneurial context. Theoretical, entrepreneurial and educational implications of the study findings are discussed and exciting areas for future research suggested.