More Specific than “Small”: Identifying Key Factors to Account for the Heterogeneity in Stress Findings Among Small Businesses

Authors

Alice M. Brawley Newlin, Gettysburg CollegeFollow

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

8-17-2020

Department 1

Management

Abstract

Small businesses are dominant in most economies and their owners likely experience high levels of distress. However, we have not fully explored how these common businesses meaningfully differ with respect to the stress process. Understanding the meaningful variations or subgroups (i.e., heterogeneity) in the small business population will advance occupational health psychology, both in research and practice (e.g., Schonfeld, 2017; Stephan, 2018). To systematize these efforts, the author identifies five commonly appearing “heterogeneity factors” from the literature as modifiers of stressors or the stress process among small business owners. These five heterogeneity factors include: owner centrality, individual differences, gender differences, business/ownership type, and time. After synthesizing the research corresponding to each of these five factors, the author offers specific suggestions for identifying and incorporating relevant heterogeneity factors in future investigations of small business owners’ stress. The author closes by discussing implications for advancing occupational health theories.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

DOI

10.1108/S1479-355520200000018005

Version

Post Print

Recommended Citation

Brawley Newlin, Alice M. “More Specific than ‘Small’: Identifying Key Factors to Account for the Heterogeneity in Stress Findings among Small Businesses.” In Entrepreneurial and Small Business Stressors, Experienced Stress, and Well Being 18, edited by Pamela L. Perrewé, Peter D. Harms, and Chu-Hsiang Chang, 95–122. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Limited, 2020.

Required Publisher's Statement

This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) license. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact permissions@emerald.com.