Unleashing employees’ entrepreneurial potential in Saudi start-up companies: the role of psychological empowerment as a mediator between entrepreneurial leadership and employees’ entrepreneurial behavior

Abstract The business market through which start-ups operate has become intensively competitive in recent years. Developing employees’ entrepreneurial behavior is thus a priority for thriving in such conditions. This research attempts to explore the antecedent of such behavior by testing a research...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Razan Abanumay, Eman Alalwani, Suad Dukhaykh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-04-01
Series:BMC Psychology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02680-6
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Summary:Abstract The business market through which start-ups operate has become intensively competitive in recent years. Developing employees’ entrepreneurial behavior is thus a priority for thriving in such conditions. This research attempts to explore the antecedent of such behavior by testing a research model that incorporates the linkages between entrepreneurial leadership, psychological empowerment, and employees’ entrepreneurial behavior. The structural equation modeling analysis performed on a sample of 256 employees working in Saudi start-up companies showed that entrepreneurial leadership has no direct effect on employees’ entrepreneurial behavior; instead, the impact turned out to be indirect through enhancing employees’ psychological empowerment. The study holds several implications for researchers and practitioners in the field.
ISSN:2050-7283