The leadership as element of the entrepreneurial behavior: An exploratory study

Abstract

It seems there is an agreement about the fact that the central element of the entrepreneurship is the entrepreneur. This was the assumption used in this study. A survey was carried out to identify the leadership behaviors applied by entrepreneurs in order to promote the organizational changes required to consolidate and develop their businesses. The survey was qualitative and exploratory, developed though in-depth interviews with three entrepreneurs, that generate four hours of report from each one of them. Evidences were found that the leadership behaviors applied by entrepreneurs in order to promote the growth of their ventures are consistent with the theory, particularly with respect to relationship and change. Hence, it´s possible to presume that, although the experiences narrated here are aligned with the theory, there are some significant personal and contextual aspects which would characterize leadership as an individual exercise, mediated by specific environmental factors.