Entrepreneurs’ proactive personality, network involvement, and international entrepreneurial intention in family SMEs

Abstract

International entrepreneurial intention (IEI), which bridges entrepreneurship and internationalization, has gained significant scholarly attention as a critical factor in SME growth. While previous research acknowledges the roles of proactive personality and network involvement in shaping entrepreneurial intentions, their combined effect within family SMEs remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining how individual and relational factors influence the IEI of family firms. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and network theory, we develop and test a research model using variance-based structural equation modeling (partial least squares) on a sample of 125 CEOs from family SMEs. The results show that an entrepreneur’s proactive personality and engagement with business and social networks positively influence IEI. This relationship is further strengthened when the CEO is a family member. By empirically linking personality, networks, and IEI within the family business context, our findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the heterogeneity of family firms. By integrating TPB and network theory, this study provides a more comprehensive framework for understanding the antecedents of IEI and offers practical insights for fostering internationalization in family SMEs.