Entrepreneurial behaviour in the Greek public sector

Purpose - While the term "entrepreneurship" was almost exclusively associated with private sector, it is now found with increasing frequency in the literature on the public sector and public administration. However, research on public entrepreneurs remains restricted to top and middle managers and elected politicians and focuses on policy promotion and initiatives concerning public sector transformation. The purpose of the present article is to extend earlier research to the empirical assessment of entrepreneurial behaviour among front line staff in the Greek public sector. Design/methodology/approach - A scale of entrepreneurial behaviour was assessed. A short, self-report questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 237 public servants working at prefecture level, which is the second level of government in Greece. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the entrepreneurial behaviour scale contributed to the formation of a hierarchical factor structure with a super-ordinate entrepreneurial behaviour factor and three lower-level factors. Research limitations/implications - The reported research relied on self-reports and on a sample from the Greek public sector. Moreover, data are cross-sectional and alternatives relationships may exist. Future research should be multinational and longitudinal to test the assumptions of the present study and should encompass variables of actual entrepreneurial behaviour. Practical implications - The research findings demonstrate that the concept of "public entrepreneurship" is relevant for the average civil servant and reveals facets of entrepreneurial behaviour of front line staff. Moreover, the study finds evidence that there is a positive correlation between the supportive context, as expressed by encouragement of initiatives and access to managerial information, and entrepreneurial behaviour among public servants. As a result, policy makers should take the appropriate measures to build a supportive context for public entrepreneurship. Originality/value - The research findings are original and unique and are based on established models and theories from the literature on private sector entrepreneurship. The results are based on a sample of public servants working in different prefectures in Greece. In addition, respondents come from different organisational units across each prefecture. The research findings are useful to academics and to policy makers interested in fostering public entrepreneurship.