Interpreting Haugean Entrepreneurial Motivation from the Perspective of Economic and Management Theories

In O.H. Grytten and T. Liland (ed.): In the legacy of Hans Nielsen Hauge. Entrepreneurship in Economics, Management, Education and Politics. Bodoni forlag 2021.

Hans Nielsen Hauge launched a large number of businesses during the late 18th and early 19th century. Most research ascribes Hauge’s motivation as a response to his understanding of a calling from God. This paper explores the various theories of entrepreneurship and develops a framework of entrepreneurial motivation, including religious, psychological, and contextual factors. The authors apply this framework in a preliminary analysis and discussion of the entrepreneurial motivations of Hauge and his followers. The analysis suggests that a broad set of factors motivated the followers, and that all factors of the motivational framework are relevant. The discussion offers questions and directions for future research on the entrepreneurial motivation of the Haugeans and other religious movements involved in business activity.