Future Proof
The evolving
environment
Dr Sankalp Chaturvedi
Associate Professor of Organisational
Behaviour and Leadership,
Imperial College Business School
It’s certainly true that genetics play a role
in the development of behaviours such as
leadership and entrepreneurship. The question
is not whether it’s down to ‘nature or nurture’,
it’s actually a result of both. As with IQ and
personality, leadership/entrepreneurship
behaviours have elements with which individuals
are born. However, the majority of variances in
these dimensions can be taught to individuals.
Research has found that environment plays a
bigger role in development of entrepreneurship
than genetics.
Using a Swedish sample of identical and
same-sex fraternal twins, we found that there is
a strong genetic influence on females’ tendency
to become entrepreneurs. Of all the personality
traits, extroversion and neuroticism help the
genetic influences on women’s tendency to
become entrepreneurs. By contrast, males
show a large shared-environment influence and
negligible genetic influence on their tendency to
become entrepreneurs, and extroversion helps
men’s tendency to become entrepreneurs.
So, it is our evolving environment that actually
plays the most significant role in determining
whether someone will become an entrepreneur.
Choices made regarding the type of school we
attend, the subjects to which we are drawn and
in which we excel, and the choices we make
regarding university are the greatest influences
on our career choices, as are our relationships
with parents, teachers, family and friends.
Issue 1 - 2017
63