Date of Defense
17-11-2025 9:00 AM
Location
H3 - 2021
Document Type
Dissertation Defense
Degree Name
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
College
College of Business and Economics
Department
Marketing and Entrepreneurship
First Advisor
Prof. Riyad Eid
Keywords
Entrepreneurial Behavior, Intrinsic Motivation, Self Determination Theory, Amabile’s model for creative performance, Corporate Entrepreneurship, UAE, State Owned Entities
Abstract
There has been growing interest in corporate entrepreneurship in academia and practice. A key focus is on promoting it and increasing entrepreneurial behavior in organizations. The pervasive narrative in the current literature is that employees will behave more entrepreneurially if they perceive their organization as entrepreneurial, suggesting a direct causal relationship. This study aims to examine the link between an organization’s corporate entrepreneurship and its employees’ entrepreneurial behavior, and the role of intrinsic motivation in that link. Specifically, by drawing on Self Determination Theory and Amabile’s model for creative performance as a theoretical framework, the study posits that despite the literature’s suggestions, that the relationship between the perception of an organization’s corporate entrepreneurship and the employees’ entrepreneurial behavior is mediated via intrinsic motivation. Therefore, a novel conceptual model was developed and primary quantitative data was collected from the public sector in the UAE, including state-owned entities, via questionnaires. Overall, a sample of 99 respondents was used to perform path analysis (i.e. PLS SEM). The results of the analysis found that intrinsic motivation is a significant mediator in the relationship between perception of corporate entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial behavior, although the effect was complementary partial mediation. The study makes several contributions and implications academically and practically. On the academic side, the study validates many of the theories and models developed in western environment in the context of public organizations in the UAE, a unique and intriguing context that has been largely overlooked in academia. Furthermore, the theoretical framework highlights the significant role of intrinsic motivation in driving behavior in public organizations. On the practical side, the study enhances the working model in the public sector, specifically in the UAE. Also, the results help direct organizations’ focus to effectively enhance entrepreneurial behavior among their employees by focusing on intrinsic motivation.
Included in
The Mediating Role of Intrinsic Motivation in the Relationship Between Corporate Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Behavior in State Owned Entities in the UAE
H3 - 2021
There has been growing interest in corporate entrepreneurship in academia and practice. A key focus is on promoting it and increasing entrepreneurial behavior in organizations. The pervasive narrative in the current literature is that employees will behave more entrepreneurially if they perceive their organization as entrepreneurial, suggesting a direct causal relationship. This study aims to examine the link between an organization’s corporate entrepreneurship and its employees’ entrepreneurial behavior, and the role of intrinsic motivation in that link. Specifically, by drawing on Self Determination Theory and Amabile’s model for creative performance as a theoretical framework, the study posits that despite the literature’s suggestions, that the relationship between the perception of an organization’s corporate entrepreneurship and the employees’ entrepreneurial behavior is mediated via intrinsic motivation. Therefore, a novel conceptual model was developed and primary quantitative data was collected from the public sector in the UAE, including state-owned entities, via questionnaires. Overall, a sample of 99 respondents was used to perform path analysis (i.e. PLS SEM). The results of the analysis found that intrinsic motivation is a significant mediator in the relationship between perception of corporate entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial behavior, although the effect was complementary partial mediation. The study makes several contributions and implications academically and practically. On the academic side, the study validates many of the theories and models developed in western environment in the context of public organizations in the UAE, a unique and intriguing context that has been largely overlooked in academia. Furthermore, the theoretical framework highlights the significant role of intrinsic motivation in driving behavior in public organizations. On the practical side, the study enhances the working model in the public sector, specifically in the UAE. Also, the results help direct organizations’ focus to effectively enhance entrepreneurial behavior among their employees by focusing on intrinsic motivation.