Psychological coaching as a driver to enhance networking capabilities of young entrepreneurs

Abstract

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Index 2018, Portuguese entrepreneurship is suboptimal, namely due to a low capacity of networking by Portuguese entrepreneurs. As such, this research focuses on the psychological and personality traits that may be the origin of this suboptimal performance. To carry out the research, 331 young adults participated by answering a questionnaire composed out of three parts: a sociodemographic part; the Portuguese Entrepreneurial Psychological Traits Inventory (PEPTI); and the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44). The results show that young entrepreneurs have higher scores on the PEPTI and onfour of the five dimensions of the BFI-44. However, the differences in Agreeableness are not statistically significant, possibly evidencing one of the reasons for suboptimal networking skills. As networking capabilities are importantfor successful entrepreneurship, we propose the development of a psychological coaching programme for young entrepreneurs with the objective to enhance several soft-skills that improve networking capabilities.