From Intention to Behaviour: How Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation and Job Fit Influence Employee Intrapreneurship in SMEs

Abstract

This study examines the intention–behaviour dynamics of intrapreneurship at the individual level, an area that remains largely underexplored compared with the widely studied domain of firm-level intrapreneurship. Based upon the theory of planned behaviour, we investigate the relationships between individual entrepreneurial orientation (intention), job fit (context) and employee intrapreneurship (behaviour) in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We, therefore, conducted moderated regression analyses using a sample of 649 employees from SMEs. Our results indicate that individual entrepreneurial orientation has a positive effect on employee intrapreneurship, whereas surprisingly, job fit has no significant effect. However, job fit positively moderates the relationship between individual entrepreneurial orientation and employee intrapreneurship, especially its subdimensions person–organization fit and demands–abilities fit. Our findings enhance the theoretical comprehension of intrapreneurship, particularly the connection between intention and behaviour, while also offering valuable practical insights for the contextual employment settings within SMEs.