The role of personality traits and entrepreneurial self-efficacy in SME sustainability

Malenković, Saša (author), Slavec Gomezel, Alenka (author)

This study examines the role of personality traits in shaping sustainable business practices among entrepreneurs, focusing on the mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, we conceptualize entrepreneurial self-efficacy as a cognitive belief mechanism that strengthens entrepreneurs' confidence in their ability to implement sustainable strategies. Using data from Slovenian SME owners, the results show that conscientiousness and openness to experience are positively associated with the adoption of sustainability strategies. Entrepreneurs who exhibit these traits are more likely to adopt environmentally and socially responsible business practices. Furthermore, entrepreneurial self-efficacy plays a crucial mediating role by strengthening the link between extraversion, openness, and sustainable business practices and underpinning the role of cognitive beliefs in entrepreneurs' sustainable business practices. The study contributes to the growing body of research on sustainability in entrepreneurship by clarifying how personality determinants relate to sustainability efforts in SMEs through the lens of Social Cognitive Theory. These findings offer practical implications for policymakers, educators, and support institutions and emphasize the importance of fostering entrepreneurial self-efficacy and the personality traits that drive sustainable behaviors in business to promote sustainable entrepreneurship.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Big Five, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, personality, SME, sustainable business practices
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: EF - School of Economics and Business
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 5689-5703
• Numbering: Vol. 32, iss. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-176708
• UDC: 658
• ISSN on article: 1535-3958
• DOI: 10.1002/csr.3261
• COBISS.SI-ID: 238194691
• Publication date in RUL: 09.12.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Corporate social-responsibility and environmental management
• Shortened title: Corp. soc.-resp. environ. manag.
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 1535-3958
• COBISS.SI-ID: 513040153

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: majhna in srednja podjetja, uspešnost poslovanja, družbena odgovornost, trajnostni razvoj