Abstract

Nascent entrepreneurs, individuals in the initial stages of establishing new business ventures, play a crucial role in both the economy and society. By focusing on personality and workplace dynamics this study analyzes the antecedents of individual's intention to embark on entrepreneurship by using survey data from 1497 employees across nine Latin American countries including Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Cuba, and Brazil. Our cross-cultural results reveal that a higher presence of all three components of Dark Triad traits—Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism—significantly enhances an employee's inclination toward entrepreneurship. Additionally, workers who have higher scores in these three traits perceive themselves as being ostracized or marginalized in the workplace due to their personality characteristics. This perception, in turn, makes them more interested in seeking alternative paths, such as starting their own business. Interestingly, males generally scored higher on Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism compared to females. However, in Cuba, females scored higher than males on all three traits. Geographically, Chilean employees had the highest scores for Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism, while Peruvian employees had the lowest scores for Machiavellianism and narcissism. Cubans scored the lowest in terms of psychopathy. These findings highlight the complex relationship between personality traits and workplace dynamics in influencing entrepreneurial intentions, offering valuable insights into the motivations driving entrepreneurial pursuits. © 2024