Gender Difference in the Conative Componet of Entrepreneurial Orientation*

Zusammenfassung

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The aim of this paper is to investigate the question of gender difference in the entrepreneurial orientation of managers in the post-transition economy of Slovenia. The concept of intervening variables as parts of the conative components of entrepreneurial orientation is introduced and gender differences are examined between variables. 183 Slovene top and middle managers were analysed in this respect. The results indicate that there are no gender differences in the variable to spot opportunities, to risk, to innovate, and in the intervening variable to plan, and to follow procedures, but a gender difference exists in the intervening variable to analyse, to quantify, and to justify and in the intervening variables of dexterity and craftsmanship, which could be attributed to gender occupational concentration.

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Auszug

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Gender Difference in the Conative Componet of Entrepreneurial Orientation*

1. Introduction

Corporate entrepreneurship activities and orientation can be considered as important predictors of corporate performance and corporate entrepreneurship (intrapreneurship), and is held to promote entrepreneurial behaviour within an organization (Echols/Neck 1998). Coping with contemporary economic challenges depends to a great extent on the calibre of managers (Sanyal/Guvenli 2004) and their skills, knowledge, capabilities, experience, values and behaviour. Thus, entrepreneurial thinking and entrepreneurship orientation (EO) of managers is increasingly needed. Managers who are entrepreneurially oriented should have the same attributes as entrepreneurs: a proactive personality, the ability to spot opportunities, a propensity to take risks, tolerance of ambiguity, innovativeness. The question arises as to how we can measure these antecedents. A further challenge is the eventual gender difference in EO. The emerging concept of conation seems to have the potential to contribute to issue clarification.

Unchangeable biological characteristics which differentiate men and women exist (Goldberg 1993). Usually, the biological differences are seen as the reason for behavioural differences; however, biological sex differences are the fact, whereas gender differences are socially constructed. Therefore, sex is defined in terms of biological or physical characteristics associated with being male or female (Moradi/Yoder 2001), and gender is - as a constructive element of social relationships - socially constructed and culturally shaped (Cromptom/Lyonette 2005; Janssen/Murachver 2004).

The female social role in Slovenia, similar to other transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe, was in the past somehow differ...

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