Capitalizing on women’s entrepreneurial alertness

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how human, social and psychological capital influences women’s entrepreneurial alertness and discover if these influences are moderated by job complexity. Design/methodology/approach This is a quantitative research study using a purposive sampling method where data are gathered from a self-report survey. The hypotheses are tested using a sample of 274 female middle managers using a hierarchical moderated regression analysis. Findings The results support that women’s human and psychological capital are positively related to each dimension of their entrepreneurial alertness, and that these relationships are moderated by job complexity. Results also indicate that women’s social capital is not related to their entrepreneurial alertness. Research limitations/implications The most important limitation of this study is that it only considers women who work as middle managers in established firms without considering the specific responsibilities or duties that influence their entrepreneurial alertness and thus generalizability for other contexts may be limited. Practical implications The results show that entrepreneurial alertness represents a capability that can be learned and improved and may offer guidance to aspiring women middle managers in how to mindfully discover opportunities with business potential. Originality/value This study adds new empirical evidence that contributes to a better understanding of how women, within the context of established firms, enhance the occurrence of entrepreneurial behavior by being alert to entrepreneurial opportunities.