PERSONALITY TRAITS, UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE AND UNIVERSITY COMMERCIALISATION: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v7si4.1590Keywords:
personality traits, uncertainty avoidance, commercialisation, university productAbstract
Commercialisation plays a vital role in transforming research and innovation into tangible societal and economic impact by enabling university students to commercialise innovative products and services. This conceptual paper proposes a theoretical framework integrating personality traits, individual-level uncertainty avoidance, and commercialisation. Guided by Trait Activation Theory, the framework explains how the expression of entrepreneurial personality traits depends on situational conditions, with uncertainty avoidance acting as a contextual factor that may strengthen or weaken the relationship between personality traits and commercialisation. Using a narrative review approach, the paper addresses the inconsistent findings reported in previous studies and offers a propositional model for future empirical validation. Although the framework has not yet been empirically tested, it provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the interplay between personality traits, uncertainty avoidance, and commercialisation among university students. By integrating Trait Activation Theory with entrepreneurship and commercialisation literature, this study offers a unified perspective on the behavioural mechanisms underlying university commercialisation.
References
[1] Ahmed, E.R., Rahman, M.M., Mohamed, H.A. (2020): The role of personality traits on university students’ entrepreneurial intention: Evidence from Malaysia. – Test Engineering and Management 83: 5343-5352.
[2] Ahmed, M., Khattak, M.S., Anwar, M. (2020): The influence of Big Five personality traits on entrepreneurial intentions: The mediating role of risk aversion. – Journal of Public Affairs 22: 14p.
[3] Cao, Y., Asad, M.M., Wang, L., Naz, A., Almusharraf, N. (2022): Role of personality traits for entrepreneurial intentions of young entrepreneurs: A case study of higher education institution. – Frontiers in Psychology 13: 15p.
[4] Cho, I., Kwak, Y.H., Jun, J. (2019): Sustainable idea development mechanism in university technology commercialization (UTC): Perspectives from dynamic capabilities framework. – Sustainability 11(21): 15p.
[5] Hofstede, G. (2001): Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. – Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications 596p.
[6] Hsieh, H.L., Hsieh, J.R., Wang, I.L. (2011): Linking personality and innovation: The role of knowledge management. – World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education 9(1): 38-44.
[7] John, O.P., Srivastava, S. (1999): The Big Five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and theoretical perspectives. – In: Pervin, L.A., John, O.P. (eds.), Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, New York: Guilford Press 36p.
[8] Judge, T.A., Zapata, C.P. (2015): The person–situation debate revisited: Effect of situation strength and trait activation on the validity of the Big Five personality traits in predicting job performance. – Academy of Management Journal 58(4): 1149-1179.
[9] Karabulut, A.T. (2016): Personality traits on entrepreneurial intention. – Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 229: 12-21.
[10] Khan, A.Y., Chen, Y., Fatema, K. (2022): Relationship between entrepreneur’s personality, behaviour and venture success in Pakistan. – Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation 9(1): 18p.
[11] Pandey, D.L., Uprety, S.K., Risal, N. (2023): Personality traits and their impact on the social entrepreneurial intentions of management students: A test of Big Five personality approach. – Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship 12: 18p.
[12] Li, L.N., Huang, J.H., Gao, S.Y. (2022): The relationship between personality traits and entrepreneurial intention among college students: The mediating role of creativity. – Frontiers in Psychology 13: 12p.
[13] Merriam-Webster (2025): Definition of commercialization. – Merriam-Webster Dictionary 1p.
[14] Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (2021): CEO@Faculty Programme. – Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia 1p.
[15] Mussel, P. (2013): Intellect: A theoretical framework for personality traits related to intellectual achievements. – Journal of Personality 81(6): 479-492.
[16] O’Dwyer, M., Filieri, R., O’Malley, L. (2023): Establishing successful university–industry collaborations: Barriers and enablers deconstructed. – The Journal of Technology Transfer 48(3): 900-931.
[17] Parks-Leduc, L., Feldman, G., Bardi, A. (2015): Personality traits and personal values: A meta-analysis. – Personality and Social Psychology Review 19(1): 3-29.
[18] Perkmann, M., Tartari, V., McKelvey, M., Autio, E., Broström, A., D’Este, P., Fini, R., Geuna, A., Hughes, A., Krabel, S., Kitson, M., Llerena, P., Lissoni, F., Salter, A., Sobrero, M. (2013): Academic engagement and commercialisation: A review of the literature on university–industry relations. – Research Policy 42(2): 423-442.
[19] Motta, V.F., Galina, S.V.R. (2023): Experiential learning in entrepreneurship education: A systematic literature review. – Teaching and Teacher Education 121: 14p.
[20] Schneider, B. (1983): Interactional psychology and organizational behavior. – In: Cummings, L.L., Staw, B.M. (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior 5. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press 31p.
[21] Steensma, H.K., Marino, L., Weaver, K.M., Dickson, P.H. (2000): The influence of national culture on the formation of technology alliances by entrepreneurial firms. – Academy of Management Journal 43(5): 951-973.
[22] Suhaimi, N., Abdul Halim, M.A.S., Hashim, H.A. (2022): Commercialization of academic research: Assessing the perception of academicians at a public university in Malaysia. – Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education 14(1): 59-76.
[23] Tett, R.P., Burnett, D.D. (2003): A personality trait-based interactionist model of job performance. – Journal of Applied Psychology 88(3): 500-517.
[24] [24] Tett, R.P., Simonet, D.V., Walser, B., Brown, C. (2021): Trait Activation Theory: Applications, developments, and implications for person–situation interaction research. – European Journal of Personality 35(1): 11-31.
[25] Turner, M., Hodis, F.A. (2025): Strengthening conscientiousness by means of interventions: A systematic review. – Educational Psychology Review 37: 25p.
[26] Xia, F., Thewissen, J., Huang, W., Yan, S. (2024): Founder-CEO extraversion and sustainability orientation in initial coin offerings. – Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 48(4): 941-980.
[27] Wang, M., Soetanto, D., Cai, J., Munir, H. (2022): Scientist or entrepreneur? Identity centrality, university entrepreneurial mission, and academic entrepreneurial intention. – The Journal of Technology Transfer 47: 119-146.
[28] Watson, D., Clark, L.A. (1997): Extraversion and its facets: Facet-level comparisons of normal and abnormal personality structures. – Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 73(6): 1209-1223.
[29] Wennekers, S., Thurik, R., van Stel, A., Noorderhaven, N. (2007): Uncertainty avoidance and the rate of business ownership across 21 OECD countries, 1976–2004. – Journal of Evolutionary Economics 17(2): 133-160.
[30] Yoo, B., Donthu, N., Lenartowicz, T. (2011): Measuring Hofstede’s five dimensions of cultural values at the individual level: Development and validation of CVSCALE. – Journal of International Consumer Marketing 23(3-4): 193-210.
[31] Zhang, Y., Wang, P., Zhao, Y. (2022): Big Five personality, academic entrepreneurial motivation, and academic entrepreneurial intention: A research method based on fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. – Frontiers in Psychology 12: 14p.
[32] Zhao, H., Seibert, S.E. (2006): The Big Five personality dimensions and entrepreneurial status: A meta-analytical review. – Journal of Applied Psychology 91(2): 259-271.
[33] Zhao, H., Seibert, S.E., Lumpkin, G.T. (2010): The relationship of personality to entrepreneurial intentions and performance: A meta-analytic review. – Journal of Management 36(2): 381-404.
[34] Zhu, X., Muneer, S., Naveed, R.T. (2021): Does employee psychological safety expedite employee performance and firm performance: Mediating role of employee task performance and helping behavior. – Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica 30: 509-518.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 EHSAN FANSUREE SURIN, FAZIATUL AMILLIA MOHAMAD BASIR, FAZIHA ABD MALEK, CHOLO E JAVIER, NURUL HAFEZ HALIL
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
