Attitude toward innovativeness based on personality traits in the SME sector. Czech Republic case study

Abstract

The research of personality characteristics of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs in relation to EO constructs is an important part of the research of the whole entrepreneurial environment of small and medium-sized enterprises. The aim of this paper is to search for a relationship between personality traits and the attitude toward innovativeness as a construct of EO of SME entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic based on their sociodemographic factors (gender, education, and age). Results from a questionnaire-based survey of the entrepreneurial environment of SME in the Czech Republic showed that the attitude toward innovativeness differed for entrepreneurs considering perseverance and responsibility to be important for entrepreneurship based on their education level. Entrepreneurs with secondary education or secondary educated with graduation were more confident about the reputation of their business as an innovator than university educated entrepreneurs.

Keywords

• small and medium-sized enterprises
• innovativeness
• risk taking
• proactiveness
• entrepreneur’s age
• gender
• education
• czech republic