Delineating entrepreneurs' styles: application of Adaption-Innovation subscales

Work on Adaption-Innovation theory has downplayed the importance of the three subscales, focusing instead on the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory and on its total score. Although most Kirton inventory subscale scores correlate with the over-all score, a significant number do not. For this group of 44 successful entrepreneurs, subscale scores differed from those of technology managers in one company and also from the subscale scores of Kirton's original sample. Dividing the subscale continuum into four zones was instrumental in exploring how entrepreneurs' subscale profiles might differ from population norms. The study clearly showed that for the entrepreneur sample there was a distinct mixture of subscale combinations, and rule conformity acted as a moderating variable for originality. This may prove useful in understanding the differences between groups of entrepreneurs. These findings indicate not only a need for more thorough research of the Kirton subscales but also the usefulness of zones for interpreting scores on subscales.