Recent research has revealed that a person’s genes determine his propensity towards being an entrepreneur or being self-employed.
Professor Tim Spector of St Thomas' Hospital in London.and scientists at Imperial College, London and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland conducted the research and came to the conclusion that family environment and upbringing had very little impact upon entrepreneurs.The subjects of the study were 609 pairs of identical twins who share exactly the same genes and 657 pairs of same-sex, non-identical twins in the UK. The scientists considered whether entrepreneurship was more common among identical twins, suggesting a genetic influence.
The results of the research revealed that if a pair of twins were identical the chances of them both being self-employed was higher than if they were non-identical. ‘This relatively high heritability suggests the importance of considering genetic factors to explain why some people are entrepreneurial, while others are not,’ said Spector.
’Evidence has shown that genetic factors influence a variety of business-related areas from job satisfaction to vocational interests and work values,’ he said.
The findings of the research were presented at a meeting at the London Business School. The role of genes on personality traits and abilities that influence people to become entrepreneurs were highlighted there.
Professor Tim Spector, the director of the Twin Research Unit at St Thomas's Hospital, London, said: ‘The research is important for business schools and employers who, in the future could, identify ways of selecting those who were most likely to succeed.’
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