Technological entrepreneurs are more optimistic.
-potential technology-based entrepreneurs are more optimistic than the rest of the population, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of AlmerÃa. One of the objectives of this study is to serve as a basis in the design of training programmes for future entrepreneurs, since, according to the authors, an excess of optimism can lead to a business management bound to fail
– the study is published in the magazine ‘ Psicothema ’
Spain, December of 2011- the results of a study conducted by researchers from the Faculty of psychology of the University Almeria, they point out that technological potential entrepreneurs are more optimistic than persons classified as potentially not entrepreneurial. Another conclusion is that this type of entrepreneur does not show higher levels of realism when compared with other groups of people studied.
As he explained to SINC Jorge López Puga, one of the authors of the work that has been published in the journal Psicothema, there is enough consensus among the scientific community about the role of optimism in the welfare. In general, the more optimistic is a person considered that copes better with the problems will be more clever about taking decisions, social relations will be strengthened, will get better results from difficult tasks and, ultimately, will enjoy a better psychological health ”.
If this idea is moved to the field of management and entrepreneurship, conclusions can be similar, believes López Puga. With this theory, could reach the conclusion that the entrepreneurs more optimistic may better to address the problems, will optimize its decision-making, its links with other individuals and businesses will tend to be strengthened, and his entrepreneurial adventures will therefore be more viable.
in the business field an unjustified optimism could lead to many failures.
However, adds the investigator, are increasingly more evidence showing that an unwarranted optimism can lead to a business management too risky that blatantly violates the temporary business sustainability. In fact, he says, many start-ups fail in their first five years of life, although their initial ideas were good.
Consequences
There are situations in life, and more in the enterprise space, where unwarranted optimism can be harmful to individual and collective interests. In the context of the creation of enterprises excessive optimism may have negative consequences and could be at the base of numerous failures in the new company. For this reason, in our work raise the suitability of introducing the consideration of this fact in the programmes of empowerment or training of future entrepreneurs of technological base with the objective that such problems are foreseen and overcome airy manner ”, says the researcher.
The authors of the study have used a scale of measurement, designed to assess the degree of subjective optimism displayed persons Life Orientation Test-Revised call which has begun to be used in research on entrepreneurship only three or four years ago. In addition to obtain measures of optimism and pessimism from this instrument, have introduced a novel method for estimating the degree in which people feel to be realistic about its future ”, notes Jorge López Puga.
Bibliographic reference:
Lopez Puga, Jorge; Garcia Garcia, Juan. Dispositional optimism, pessimism and realism in technological potential entrepreneurs ”. Psicothema 23 (4): 611-616, November 2011.
