Religiosity and Entrepreneurial Behaviour

Abstract

This exploratory study attempts to find some preliminary explanations for the confounding findings concerning the relationship of personal religiosity to a type of entrepreneurial behaviour found to be predictive of company success. It also explores the possible role of religiosity in neutralizing the deleterious effects of materialism that, according to some research findings, appear to accompany the financial rewards of entrepreneurial success. Both previous research and new findings relating to materialistic outcomes of entrepreneurial success are discussed. Data are presented on a sample of 44 growth-oriented entrepreneurs who were tested by three measures: the Miner Sentence Completion Scale-Form T (MSCS-T) comprising three subscales: personal achievement, risk avoidance and personal innovation; Hoge (1972) Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale (IRMS) and the Michigan University Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS). The findings of this study from the USA suggest that religiosity may contribute to entrepreneurial success, and that entrepreneurs' pursuit of material wealth, in the presence of personal religiosity, does not lead to dysfunctional outcomes, but rather to greater degrees of life satisfaction.