A Survey of Need for Achievement in Entrepreneurs and Intraprenears with Non-Entrepreneurs in the Tehran Industry

Entrepreneurship is the process of initiative and invention, creation of new business in perilous conditions through opportunity exploration and sources management which will result in productivity, wealth and employment. Innovation and initiative, self-confidence, internal locus of control, risk-taking, desire for independence and need for achievement are the most important entrepreneurial characters. Especially, McClelland (1961) has emphasized the need for achievement motivation. The current research explores the relationship between the need for achievement and entrepreneurship. For this purpose, 150 managing directors were randomly selected in industry in Tehran: Fifty people in each group. These groups filled the Bhahargava Achievement Motivation Test (1994). We analyzed the comparison of 3 group’s averages by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc test in terms of need for achievement and Chi Square was used for education levels as well as the type of father’s occupation. The results indicated that the need for achievement in entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs is significantly more than that in non-entrepreneurs. Therefore, the first hypothesis was confirmed. There is a difference between entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs in need for achievement levels, which was not significant, and therefore, the second hypothesis was not confirmed. According to the calculated chi-square, there are significant differences between entrepreneurs/intrapreneurs and non-entrepreneurs in education levels and the type of father’s occupation (businessman or government employees). In other words, the education levels of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs are more than those of no-entrepreneurs and their fathers were mostly businessmen and not government employees; therefore, the third and fourth hypotheses were confirmed.