Who becomes a small-scale entrepreneur in a post-socialist environment: On the differences between entrepreneurs and managers in east Germany

It is argued that personality orientations play a role in the emergence of entrepreneurs, particularly in an ex-socialist country. Managers (n= 75) and entrepreneurs (n=102) are compared in East Germany and it is found that there are clear differences between them. A discriminant analysis is able to correctly classify 79 percent to the two groups based on variables related to autonomy, innovativeness, competitive aggressiveness, and achievement orientation.