Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the stress—burnout link in entrepreneurship by employing the role stress theory’s tri-component conceptualization (i.e., role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload) using a novel statistical method entitled, Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). The NCA is based on necessity logic, in contrast to variance-based methodologies (e.g., regression analysis and structural equation modeling) based on sufficiency logic, which seeks to assess whether an increase in the predictor variable is associated with an increase in the outcome variable. NCA aims to determine if there is a critical (necessary) determinant for an event to occur. In other words, NCA helps to answer questions, which allows identification of the necessity in type and the degree of concern for necessity linkages. Data were collected from self-identified American entrepreneurs (N = 285). The NCA's results were consistent with the conclusion of several variance-based research that identified the overall role of stress as a prerequisite for burnout. However, the three components of entrepreneurial role stress were not the necessary conditions for the development of entrepreneurial burnout. The present study is the first to use the NCA to investigate the role stress-burnout link in entrepreneurship, which has important theoretical and methodological implications. Theoretically, future studies should frame the necessary for developing entrepreneurial role stress in a broader manner, going beyond the tri-component conceptualization of role stress. And, methodologically, sufficiency logic analyses should be accompanied and supported by necessary logic analyses to deepen our understanding regarding various aspects of entrepreneurs’ well-being.
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Notes
Per a meta-analytic study (Alarcon, 2011) that focused on role theory and burnout found that role ambiguity (ρ = .32, k = 51, N = 22,145), role conflict (ρ = .53, k = 37, N = 13,568), and workload (ρ = .49, k = 86, N = 51,529) were positively associated with burnout.
A necessary condition is a condition that must be present to enable a specific outcome; without the condition, the outcome will be absent (Dul, 2019).
Stress overall consisted of all the eleven items related to role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload constructs.
For the sake of simplicity only CR-FDH results are discussed. Also, CR-FDH results are highly relevant for continuous variables (Dul, 2020).
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Manchiraju, S., Akbari, M. & Seydavi, M. Is entrepreneurial role stress a necessary condition for burnout? A necessary condition analysis. Curr Psychol 43, 4766–4778 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04704-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04704-z