Effect of entrepreneurial fear of failure: a moderated mediation model of resilience and emotion regulation
Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies
ISSN: 2053-4604
Article publication date: 27 January 2025
Abstract
Purpose
Grounded on the emotion regulation theory, this study aims to examine how and when entrepreneurial fear of failure decreases the well-being of entrepreneurs. It mainly investigates a moderated mediation model, including emotion regulation as a mediator in the association between entrepreneurial fear of failure and psychological well-being and resilience as the moderator between entrepreneurial fear of failure and emotion regulation.
Design/methodology/approach
For this study, the primary data was gathered using a reflective-formative scale of entrepreneurial fear of failure from micro-, small- and medium-sized business owners from Lucknow, the capital of India’s most populous state. Hypothesis testing was done using partial least squares structural equation modeling on 250 valid responses.
Findings
The findings suggested that fear of failure has a damaging consequence on the psychological well-being of entrepreneurs, and this link is mediated through emotion regulation. In addition, resilience was observed to moderate the link between fear of failure and emotion regulation among entrepreneurs. Furthermore, resilience moderates the indirect impact of emotion regulation concerning fear of failure and well-being among micro-, small- and medium-sized business owners.
Practical implications
The study offers theoretical and practical implications, as the results highlight the role of emotion regulation and resilience in handling the adverse outcomes of entrepreneurial fear of failure. The study asserts that business owners need to learn ways to control their emotions and be resilient to face the destructive consequences of entrepreneurial fear of failure.
Originality/value
The study marks a novel role by unfurling the underlying psychological mechanisms in the association concerning fear of failure and the well-being of existing entrepreneurs from India by examining the moderated mediation model to understand the relationships better. This study is one of the pioneer attempts to uncover the moderating role of resilience and the mediating effect of emotion regulation to explain the outcome of entrepreneurial fear of failure.
Keywords
Citation
Mehdi, S.A. and Singh, L.B. (2025), "Effect of entrepreneurial fear of failure: a moderated mediation model of resilience and emotion regulation", Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-08-2024-0325
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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