Research On The Mechanism Of Entrepreneur From Entrepreneurial Exit To Entrepreneurial Reentry

Under the new economic normal background,the entrepreneurial economy has gradually become a new engine leading economic development,and China has entered a new era of entrepreneurship.With the increase in mass entrepreneurship in economic activities,entrepreneurial exit and entrepreneurial reentry has become increasingly common.In contrast to the view of entrepreneurship as a one-time risky activity,many entrepreneurs frequently switch back and forth between entrepreneurial entry,entrepreneurial exit,and entrepreneurial reentry in reality.Previous research has also found that entrepreneurial activities undertaken by serial entrepreneurs are more likely to significantly contribute to driving national economic restructuring,increasing labor market employment,and shaping high-quality innovation capabilities.Under such context,it is crucial to answer why entrepreneurs want to exit entrepreneurship and reenter entrepreneurship after exit,as well as the transition processes and psychological mechanisms involved in these processes.Existing studies have addressed the above realistic questions from multiple perspectives,highlighting the role of elements such as national policy regimes,level of scientific development,and financial venture capital in driving the entrepreneurial exit and entrepreneurial reentry processes.However,less attention has been paid to entrepreneurs and their psychological processes,key factors shaping the entrepreneurial wave.To fill the gaps in existing literature,this thesis bases on entrepreneurial process theory,person-environment fit theory,resource conservation theory,and career construction theory,examines the psychological mechanisms of entrepreneurial exit,serial entrepreneurship,and the transition processes of entrepreneurial reentry after entrepreneurial exit.The research contents are as follows:(1)Study 1,bases on person-environment fit theory and resource conservation theory,explores the relationship between person-entrepreneurship misfit and entrepreneurial exit intention,as well as the mediating role of entrepreneurial burnout and the moderating role of entrepreneurial exit plan;(2)Based on Study 1,Study 2 relies on person-environment fit theory and career construction theory,explores the relationship between perceived entrepreneurial exit performance and serial entrepreneurship intention,and the serial mediating role of career adaptability and person-entrepreneurship fit;(3)Based on entrepreneurial process theory,Study 3,further illustrates the correspondence between different entrepreneurial exit types and the differential entrepreneurial reentry transition process and strategies,as well as the intrinsic role of perceived person-entrepreneurship misfit at different time points during this process by qualitative research methods.Based on the above statements,this thesis adopts a multi-wave and qualitative research approach to collect and analyze data that draws the following main findings:(1)Entrepreneurial exit intention is driven by person-entrepreneurship misfit,and the psychological mechanism of entrepreneurial exit is the process of coping valuable resource loss.Specifically,entrepreneurial burnout plays a mediating role in the relationship between the two variables,and entrepreneurial exit plan moderates the positive relationship between entrepreneurial burnout and entrepreneurial exit intention,as well as the positive relationship between person-entrepreneurship misfit and entrepreneurial exit intention via entrepreneurial burnout;(2)Serial entrepreneurship intention is driven by perceived entrepreneurial exit performance,and the psychological mechanism of serial entrepreneurship is the reflection on the past entrepreneurial exit experience and the process of entrepreneurial career construction.Specifically,career adaptability and person-entrepreneurship fit play a serial mediating role in the positive relationship between perceived entrepreneurial exit performance and serial entrepreneurial intention;(3)The transition process of entrepreneurial reentry after entrepreneurial exit has significant individual differences,and different entrepreneurial exit types experiences are closely related to serial entrepreneurs’ differentiated transition processes and strategies.Meanwhile,the above differences are intrinsically driven by the perception of person-entrepreneurship misfit at different time points.Overall,this thesis explores the psychological mechanisms and transition processes of entrepreneurial exit and entrepreneurial reentry,that has the following innovations in terms of research perspective,research contents and research methods:(1)Elaborating the psychological mechanisms in the process of entrepreneurial exit,serial entrepreneurship and the transition process of entrepreneurial reentry after entrepreneurial exit,that links entrepreneurial exit and entrepreneurial reentry psychologically,behaviorally,and procedurally,and presents a complete process from entrepreneurial exit entrepreneurial reentry;(2)Focusing on revealing the psychological process of entrepreneurs’ intention to entrepreneurial exit and identifying the types of actual entrepreneurial exit events,and both emphasizes the autonomy of entrepreneurs to exit entrepreneurship and the reality in entrepreneurial practice that extends entrepreneurial exit related concepts and applications;(3)Progressively explores the entrepreneurial career decision-making and management processes of entrepreneurs,entrepreneurial exiters,and serial entrepreneurs respectively,that broads the exploration scope of entrepreneurial career construction,and provides new insights for entrepreneurs to construct their entrepreneurial careers in the process of entrepreneurial exit and entrepreneurial reentry;(4)Exploring the important role of fit between entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial work environment in the entrepreneurial exit,serial entrepreneurship and transition process of entrepreneurial reentry after entrepreneurial exit that provides a new perspective for understanding the evolution of the entrepreneurial process;(5)The research design combines multi-wave data and qualitative research methods that benefits to capture the dynamic psychological changes of entrepreneurs and the qualitative explanation of the procedural problems in the process from entrepreneurial exit to entrepreneurial reentry,which enhances the convincing of the conclusions.