Title: The link between interpersonal and interorganisational networking: the role of start-up members' achievement-related affect

Authors: Maria Beatriz Esperança; Aristides I. Ferreira; Catarina Correia Leal; Timo Braun

Addresses: ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Business School, Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior Department, Avenida das Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisboa ' ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Business School, Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior Department, Avenida das Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisboa ' ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Business School, Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior Department, Avenida das Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisboa ' Hochschule Darmstadt, Business School, University of Applied Sciences, Max-Planck-Str. 2, 64807 Darmstadt

Abstract: This research examined the effect of start-up members' achievement-related affect on the link between interpersonal and interorganisational relationships (IORs). A sample of 469 employees from 135 German and 65 Portuguese start-ups (questionnaires) and a sample of 19 staff members of different Portuguese start-ups (interviews) participated in the current study. The regression results for the moderation model show that, for higher levels of achievement-related affect, interpersonal network building has a significant positive correlation with their perceived importance of IORs with non-investor stakeholders. Moreover, the indirect effect between interpersonal network maintenance and perceived importance of IORs was mediated by start-up members' achievement-related affect. This research sought to contribute to the interpersonal and interorganisational networking literatures. Findings suggest that motivations of achievement-related affect play a moderator or mediator role depending on the different profiles of the stakeholders (investors vs. non-investors).

Keywords: start-ups; achievement-related affect; entrepreneurial networking; IORs; interorganisational relationships.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEV.2021.114279

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, 2021 Vol.13 No.1, pp.63 - 87

Received: 07 Mar 2019
Accepted: 05 Mar 2020
Published online: 15 Apr 2021 *

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