Acquiring for growth: Goals and motivations in entrepreneurship through acquisition
通过定性研究，揭示了收购型创业者在增长阶段如何构建多重目标，发现外在增长目标反而能连接内在动机与未来新目标，并强调了自我调节灵活性和创业热情的作用。
Entrepreneurs pursue multiple goals and draw on diverse motivations in the venturing process. The organizing goal in entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) is to grow an existing business. Yet, the practitioner-focused ETA literature and theory-driven entrepreneurship literature offer limited insight into how entrepreneurs structure multiple goals, particularly during the growth phase. This is consequential because the extrinsic rewards associated with venture growth may undermine more satisfying intrinsic motivations that drive entrepreneurs during this phase. Through a qualitative study of acquisition entrepreneurs’ (AEs’) goals and motivations, we find that, rather than undermining intrinsic motivation, extrinsic growth goals serve as a mechanism connecting intrinsically motivating venture development tasks with the emergence of new intrinsic goals for the future. We also uncover the role of self-regulatory flexibility in pursuing growth goals and extend research on entrepreneurial passion by showing how AEs are motivated to use venture growth to positively impact employees.