An Exploratory Study into Entrepreneurial Motivation in Changing Contexts

The purpose of this research is to explore entrepreneurial motivation and its relationship to change. It does this through providing insight into what entrepreneurial motivation is, and how it is affected by change. An interpretative phenomenological approach is taken in the exploration of the nature of entrepreneurial motivation and change, in order to understand the phenomena in terms of the lived experience of seven entrepreneurs from New Zealand. The key finding in this research was that entrepreneurial motivation is an internal drive that provides entrepreneurs with the energy to deal with obstacles and push forward in an effort to satisfy their need for achievement. Some insights into the nature of entrepreneurial motivation across changing contexts are provided. An improved understanding of what entrepreneurial motivation is and how it is affected by change provides implications for both practitioners and scholars. This provides value in terms of predicting individual propensity and viability of entrepreneurship.