Intergenerational transmission of entrepreneurial intentions

We draw on cross-cultural theory and the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness project to develop a model for the transmission of entrepreneurial intentions within families in different cultures. Using data on more than 40,000 individuals from 15 countries, we show that beyond the transmission of entrepreneurial intentions from parents to children, grandparents – either directly or “indirectly” via the parents – impact the offspring's intentions. Moreover, we find that parents' and grandparents' influences partly substitute for one another. The strength of these effects varies across cultures. Our results provide a more detailed picture of the intergenerational transmission of entrepreneurial intentions.

► The transmission of entrepreneurial intentions within families is complex and involves more than one generation. ► Parents' entrepreneurial status partly mediates grandparents' influence on offspring's entrepreneurial intentions. ► The influences of grandparents and parents can, partly, substitute for one another. ► The impact of entrepreneurial parents and grandparents on the offspring is not alike in all regions. ► The influences are particularly strong in high in-group collectivism cultures.