Psychological capital and entrepreneurship: A systematic literature review of a growing research agenda

Abstract

Purpose: Psychological resources are determinant for the entrepreneur' individual performance. Psychological capital has been seen as one of the pillars of entrepreneurship and this is one of the reasons that the study of the relationship between these two constructs has become emerging. This systematic literature review contributes to a more robust and grounded understanding of this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach: This systematic review used the PRISMA Protocol guidelines and the VOSviewer software for cluster analysis. The articles gathered in this article cover the annual period from 2006 to 2021 and allowed the identification and analysis of the main themes on psychological capital and entrepreneurship.

Findings: The systematic analysis brought to light integrative relationships between the concepts of positive psychological capital and entrepreneurship, which allowed the construction of an overview of this spectrum of study. This resulted in four large groups of analysis that point the direction of the literature. The main contributions resulted in the presentation of principles and recent scientific ideas, which consider psychological capital as a valuable resource for entrepreneurship.

Originality/value: This research provides an incisive understanding with the aim of being a starting point for deepening knowledge about the synergies of studies between psychological capital and the entrepreneurship research agenda. Finally, a set of future lines of study is also proposed.