Frederik Riar

2021

Several scholars have highlighted the need to investigate the positive and negative quality effects of a prior work experience in a startup on the intention to start a business. To address this research gap we conduct a qualitative study, where we investigate perceived effects, quality ratings and relations between the constructs. Besides confirming prior assumptions about the effects of a prior work experience, we find that role model exposure leads to a disillusionment of the entrepreneurial role. Further, we extend the binary quality measure by 15 individual quality factors. We find that particularly social quality factors, such as team culture and conflicts with supervisors are associated with a higher entrepreneurial intention. We contribute to understanding the quality of a prior work experience in a startup and provide insights for individuals, startups, and incubators to develop the quality of work experience.