Closing the entrepreneurial intention-action gap: the moderating role of spirituality

Abstract

This study investigated the entrepreneurial intention-action gap through Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) framework, focusing on the moderating role of spirituality. While personal attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control are established predictors for entrepreneurial behaviour within the TPB model, documented observations have shown that intention alone cannot guarantee that entrepreneurial action will be realised. The research adopted a quantitative, cross-sectional approach in which data from 143 South African respondents was analysed using IBM’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Validated instruments were utilised to measure entrepreneurial intention and its three antecedents, entrepreneurial action, and spirituality, operationalised as two components (experience and connection (SP_ec) and compassion and acceptance (SP_ca)). The findings reaffirmed that personal attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control were significant predictors of entrepreneurial intention. Spirituality’s moderating effects were found to be partial and pathway specific; SP_ec strengthened motivational pathways, while SP_ca positively moderated the entrepreneurial intention-action relationship among tertiary-educated respondents. This suggests that spirituality evolves from a motivational enhancer to a volitional enabler as education levels rise and may therefore be leveraged to narrow the intention-action gap within certain contexts.