Investigating Entrepreneurial Behavior in Artisan Entrepreneurship (Case study: Tehran Society of Artisans)

In order to preserve and revive the cultural heritage, customs, traditions and indigenous knowledge of nations, governments must strive to grow artisan entrepreneurs in society in quantity and quality. To achieve this, it is necessary to examine the personality traits and environmental conditions associated with this type of entrepreneurship. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the basic categories of entrepreneurial behavior in artisan entrepreneurship using field method. Descriptive phenomenological method and semi-structured interview tools were used to collect research data and qualitative content analysis technique was used to analyze the data. The study population is handicraft artists in Tehran. Using purposive sampling method, 15 individual interviews and 1 group interview were conducted and the lived experiences of 18 people were examined. After analysis, 8 important categories of entrepreneurial behavior in craft entrepreneurship were identified, which are: social capital, personality and behavioral characteristics, cultural intelligence, innovative passion, institutional environment, education, motivation, outcome and research results. The most important elements of artisan entrepreneurial behavior are: interest in and passion for art, hard work and perseverance in achieving goals, preservation and promotion of indigenous traditions and cultural resources, experiential and continuous learning, support of the authorities for the artist.