Self-Promotion in Entrepreneurship: A Driver for Proactive Adaptation

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Harvey, Jean-Francois
• 署名单位: Universite de Montreal; HEC Montreal
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0021-9010
• DOI: 10.1037/apl0001250
• 发表日期: 2025
• 页码: 859-875
• 关键词: IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT; self-promotion; feedback; adaptation; entrepreneurship

摘要

Research in impression management has primarily examined how self-promotion affects one's image, neglecting the potential benefits of feedback on the underlying image that is being impression managed. This study bridges this gap by integrating impression management with social-cognitive theory to explore how self-promotion can enhance feedback from targets, thereby stimulating initiative-taking and proactive adaptation in the actor. Analyzing five-wave monthly survey data from 574 entrepreneurs, I find a positive relationship between self-promotion and experimentation, which positively associates with business-model adaptation. This indirect effect is observed exclusively among entrepreneurs confident in their capabilities, highlighting the critical role of self-efficacy. Furthermore, results from three scenario-based experiments demonstrate that higher levels of self-promotion elicit greater engagement from targets, with responses containing more constructive elements, such as ideas or concerns, thereby supporting my theory. My findings underscore the richer feedback generated from self-promotion, suggesting it plays a critical role in facilitating agentic behavior. This contributes to a more nuanced understanding of self-promotion's impact, proposing new avenues for future studies in impression management and entrepreneurship.