The role of distinct ADHD symptoms for pre-entry entrepreneurial behavior: when intentions do not translate into action

Recent academic work and popular press advocate that individuals with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be particularly well equipped to conduct entrepreneurial activities. This study investigates the link between the two main symptoms of ADHD—namely, attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms—and pre-entry entrepreneurial behavior. Building on the person-environment fit literature and analyzing a unique dataset of Flemish individuals, it demonstrates a positive link between hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms and attention deficit symptoms on the one hand and entrepreneurial intentions on the other hand. However, it also shows that, unlike hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, symptoms of inattentiveness hinder the transition of these intentions into actual pre-entry entrepreneurial behavior. These results imply that previous entrepreneurship research on ADHD as one single symptom is likely to be overly optimistic.