Contagion of Entrepreneurial Passion: Effects on Employee Outcomes. (November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hubner, Sylvia; Baum, Matthias; Frese, Michael
• Is Part Of: Entrepreneurship theory and practice. Volume 44:Number 6(2020)
• Page Start: 1112
• Page End: 1140
• Publication Date: 2020-11
• Subjects: entrepreneurial passion -- emotional contagion -- employee outcomes -- entrepreneurial firms; Small business -- Periodicals; New business enterprises -- Periodicals; Entrepreneurship -- Periodicals; 658.421
• DOI: 10.1177/1042258719883995
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1042-2587

Abstract

This article analyzes the contagion process of entrepreneurial passion and its effects on employee outcomes. We develop a mediation model showing entrepreneurs' entrepreneurial passion affects an employee passion response, which in turn affects employee outcomes. We draw on a dual-process perspective to analyze how entrepreneurs' emotional and identity displays interact to create employees' perceptions of entrepreneurs' passion, and question whether the contagion effect uniformly works for all employees. Our empirical studies, one field study and one experiment, provide empirical support for a contagion effect of entrepreneurial passion, and show the particularities of the effects of entrepreneurs' passion on employee outcomes.