The Influence of Role Models on the Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Study Examining the Motivational Fit

Abstract: Decisions to engage in entrepreneurship are affected by role models and the examples they provide. This study seeks to deepen the insights of this relation, by testing the influence of a motivational fit between entrepreneurial role models (ERMs) and aspiring entrepreneurs on entrepreneurial intentions. The study deployed a vignette experiment, in which 71 European entrepreneurship students participated. They were presented to four fictive ERMs, each expressing one specific entrepreneurial motive. After exposure to each ERM, the participants’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy and attitude towards entrepreneurship were measured, as both are important antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions. Statistical analyses based on ANOVA found partial support for one of the study’s two hypotheses: For one of the four tested types of aspiring entrepreneurs, the motivational fit significantly improved the attitude towards entrepreneurship. This study advances the understanding of ERMs and their effectiveness by including the motive as factor to be evaluated in terms of role model congruency. In that capacity, it bridges the literature stream about ERMs with the stream addressing motives to engage in entrepreneurial activities. In practical terms, this study contributes to the comprehension of ERMs as instrument to stimulate the formation of entrepreneurial intentions.