Configurational Pathways to Entrepreneurial Persistence: Unpacking the Synergistic Effects of Environment, Motivation, and Energy

Given the alarming failure rates of new ventures, unravelling the mechanisms that drive sustained entrepreneurial effort emerges as a pressing theoretical and practical imperative. Entrepreneurial persistence is widely recognised as a critical determinant of entrepreneurial success. Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study investigates how the triadic interplay of entrepreneurial environment, motivation, and energy shapes entrepreneurial persistence. Most existing studies have examined its influence from a single-dimensional perspective. However, entrepreneurial persistence is shaped by the synergistic interaction of multiple factors. Employing fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) — an advanced method uniquely suited for analysing complex causal configurations — we systematically examined 102 entrepreneurial cases to explore the multiple pathways to entrepreneurial persistence. The research findings reveal the following: (1) The market resource environment, institutional normative environment, profit motive, prosocial motive, intrinsic motive, affective energy, cognitive energy, and behavioural energy are not individually necessary conditions for entrepreneurial persistence. However, entrepreneurial energy consistently plays a pivotal role in fostering entrepreneurial persistence. (2) High entrepreneurial persistence emerges through six distinct pathways, categorised into three types based on core conditions: the environment–behavioural energy-dominated type, the intrinsic profit dual motivation–cognitive energy-dominated type, and the prosocial motivation–emotional energy-dominated type. (3) Non-high entrepreneurial persistence is associated with two distinct pathways. Theoretically, this research advances our understanding of entrepreneurial persistence by providing a novel integrated framework. It particularly highlights the critical role of entrepreneurial energy in shaping entrepreneurial persistence. This finding enhances our understanding of the diverse pathways to persistence and offers valuable insights into how entrepreneurs can sustain their efforts despite the challenges inherent in entrepreneurial ventures.