Narcissistic and Workaholic Leaders Guide Young Firms to Success
Scientists at HSE University—St. Petersburg studied how the founder's personal characteristics impact a young firm's performance. It turns out that a narcissist and workaholic who also fosters innovation will effectively grow their company. The paper has been published in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.
Companies in the early stages of development are highly dependent on their founders, making the leader's personal characteristics crucial in either enhancing or undermining the firm's performance. Scientists of the Strategic Entrepreneurship Centre at HSE University—St. Petersburg and students of the St. Petersburg School of Economics and Management studied the impact of founders' workaholism and narcissism on the performance of young companies. Additionally, they examined the effect of innovation on the firm's results. This study is part of a project aimed at investigating student entrepreneurship and identifying factors that encourage proactive behaviour in young people. The project was implemented with support from the HSE Basic Research Programme.
Galina Shirokova
'It is believed that business model innovation is not relevant to a young firm that has only recently developed its business model. Research on this topic is scarce and primarily focuses on established companies. We hypothesized that in our evolving market, young firms must actively adapt to the constantly changing environment, so the introduction of innovation can positively impact their performance,' according to Galina Shirokova, Director of the Strategic Entrepreneurship Centre.
To test the study's hypotheses, the researchers used Russian data from the 2021 Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS). The survey aims to assess students' entrepreneurial intentions and activities, along with the key factors influencing them. Data from GUESSS is extensively used by business and management scholars around the world.
The Russian researchers focused on the leaders of young firms that have been in the market for 2 to 10 years. The final sample comprised 205 students—founders of firms, most of which were small, with an average staff of four people. Among them, 18.05% were involved in trade, 14.63% in education and training, and 13.17% in advertising and marketing. The average age of respondents was 22 years. The majority of respondents—77.7%—were enrolled in bachelor's programmes, with 33.17% pursuing education in business and management.
Selected participants completed an online questionnaire in which most responses were measured on a Likert scale, assessing the degree of agreement or disagreement with each statement, ranging from 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree.' Thus, respondents assessed the company's sales, market share, and profit growth relative to key competitors using a 7-point scale, where 1 represented 'very poor' and 7 represented 'very good.'
When measuring business model innovation, respondents were first prompted with the phrase: 'Indicate your level of agreement with the following statement about your company over the past three years (1 - strongly disagree, 7 - strongly agree).' The questions addressed changes in core competencies, revenue mechanisms, and target customers.
![](/mirror/pubs/share/direct/953937729.jpg)
In a questionnaire used to assess workaholism, participants indicated their level of agreement with various statements, such as: 'It’s important for me to work hard even when I don’t enjoy what I’m doing'. When assessing narcissism, respondents indicated how true statements such as 'I tend to seek prestige or status' were for them. A 7-point Likert scale was also used, where 1 represented 'strongly disagree' and 7 represented 'strongly agree.'
After analysing the data, the researchers concluded that there was a positive relationship between business model innovation and young firm performance. This finding supports the resource-based view of firms, which suggests that organisations can achieve a competitive advantage through the development of unique resources and capabilities, including innovations.
At the same time, the workaholism and narcissism of the founder have a reinforcing effect on the positive impact of business model innovation on the young firm performance. These research findings align with the theory of strategic leadership, which states that leaders with a clear vision for their company's development foster innovation and inspire employees to work productively.
'This is an important practical insight for potential investors: a narcissistic and workaholic leader can guide a young firm to success. The key is not to be afraid to innovate and continuously seek unconventional solutions to establish your position in the market,' Galina Shirokova stressed.
The paper was prepared within the framework of the Strategic Project 'Success and Self-Sustainability of the Individual in a Changing World', 'Autonomy and Proactive Behaviour' subproject, implemented as part of the 'Priority 2030' programme.
See also:
Biologists at HSE University Warn of Potential Errors in MicroRNA Overexpression Method
Researchers at HSE University and the RAS Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry have discovered that a common method of studying genes, which relies on the overexpression of microRNAs, can produce inaccurate results. This method is widely used in the study of various pathologies, in particular cancers. Errors in experiments can lead to incorrect conclusions, affecting the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The study findings have been published in BBA.
Green Energy Patents Boost Company Profitability
An ESG strategy—Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance—not only helps preserve the environment but can also generate tangible income. Thus, the use of renewable energy sources (RES) and green technologies in the energy sector enhances return on investment and profitability. In contrast, higher CO2 emissions result in lower financial performance. This has been demonstrated in a collaborative study by the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences and the European University at St. Petersburg. Their findings have been published in Frontiers in Environmental Science.
Neuroscientists from HSE University Learn to Predict Human Behaviour by Their Facial Expressions
Researchers at the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience at HSE University are using automatic emotion recognition technologies to study charitable behaviour. In an experiment, scientists presented 45 participants with photographs of dogs in need and invited them to make donations to support these animals. Emotional reactions to the images were determined through facial activity using the FaceReader program. It turned out that the stronger the participants felt sadness and anger, the more money they were willing to donate to charity funds, regardless of their personal financial well-being. The study was published in the journal Heliyon.
Physicists from Russia and Brazil Unveil Mystery behind Complex Superconductor Patterns
Scientists at HSE MIEM and MIPT have demonstrated that highly complex spatial structures, similar to the intricate patterns found in nature, can emerge in superconductors. Mathematically, these patterns are described using the Ginzburg–Landau equation at a specific combination of parameters known as the Bogomolny point. The paper has been published in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter.
Adhesive Tape Helps Create Innovative THz Photodetector
An international team of researchers, including scientists at HSE University and Moscow Pedagogical State University (MPGU), has developed a novel photodetector composed of a thin superconducting film, capable of detecting weak terahertz (THz) radiation. This discovery holds promise for studying objects in space, developing wireless broadband communication systems, and making advancements in spectroscopy. The study has been published in Nano Letters.
Operation of Cellular Networks Found Similar to Bacteria Growth in Petri Dish
Scientists at the HSE Laboratory for Computational Physics have developed a new model for analysing communication networks that can significantly enhance the speed of mobile communications. To achieve this, the researchers used computational physics methods and phase transition models. It turns out that the functioning of cellular networks is in many ways similar to the growth of surfaces in physics. The study was performed using the HPC cHARISMa cluster at HSE University. The study findings have been published in Frontiers in Physics.
Spelling Sensitivity in Russian Speakers Develops by Early Adolescence
Scientists at the RAS Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology and HSE University have uncovered how the foundations of literacy develop in the brain. To achieve this, they compared error recognition processes across three age groups: children aged 8 to 10, early adolescents aged 11 to 14, and adults. The experiment revealed that a child's sensitivity to spelling errors first emerges in primary school and continues to develop well into the teenage years, at least until age 14. Before that age, children are less adept at recognising misspelled words compared to older teenagers and adults. The study findings have beenpublished in Scientific Reports .
HSE Researchers Demonstrate Effectiveness of Machine Learning in Forecasting Inflation
Inflation is a key indicator of economic stability, and being able to accurately forecast its levels across regions is crucial for governments, businesses, and households. Tatiana Bukina and Dmitry Kashin at HSE Campus in Perm have found that machine learning techniques outperform traditional econometric models in long-term inflation forecasting. The results of the study focused on several regions in the Privolzhskiy Federal District have been published in HSE Economic Journal.
Ruthenium Complexes Can Accelerate the Development of New Medicines
A group of scientists at INEOS RAS, HSE University, and MIPT have synthesised catalysts containing a ruthenium atom and an aromatic ring. The scientists have isolated the mirror forms of these catalysts and investigated their effectiveness in producing heterocycles, which are commonly found in the structures of drugs. The research findings have been published in Chemical Communications.
Connecting Space and Time: Bilinguals Associate Time with Space in Both Their First and Second Languages
An international team of researchers including scientists at HSE University investigated how bilingual individuals associate time with space. It turns out that in both their first and second languages, people associate the past with the left side of space and the future with the right. In fact, the higher the proficiency in a second language, the more pronounced this relationship becomes. The study findings have been published in Scientific Reports.