Title: The big five personality dimensions as a predictor of entrepreneurial status in Egypt

Authors: Salma Nader Abbass Hussein; Hadia H. Abdel Aziz

Addresses: Department of Innovation and Technology Management, German University in Cairo (GUC), Main Entrance of Al Tagamoa Al Khames, New Cairo City, Egypt ' Department of Innovation and Technology Management, German University in Cairo (GUC), Main Entrance of Al Tagamoa Al Khames, New Cairo City, Egypt

Abstract: The growing role of entrepreneurship in economic development drew the attention of academics and practitioners to the importance of personality variables in developing theories of the entrepreneurial process. This is particularly true for developing countries where the need for entrepreneurial development is high and the resources are scarce, thus, there is a need to maximise the outcomes of investing in entrepreneurial development. This research aims at providing empirical evidence on how personality dimensions are correlated with the entrepreneurial status by differentiating entrepreneurs from non-entrepreneurs managers using the five factor model. The Big Five factor model is a powerful framework for understanding structure of human personality. 109 entrepreneurs and 117 managers in Egypt were asked to complete a NEO-FFI-S questionnaire examining the relationship between the variables. The results showed that extraversion, agreeableness and openness to experience are the personality factors that are highly correlated with entrepreneurship.

Keywords: entrepreneurship; personality; Big Five; Egypt.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2017.087830

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2017 Vol.32 No.4, pp.423 - 443

Received: 24 Jun 2015
Accepted: 03 Oct 2015
Published online: 06 Nov 2017 *

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