Legacy communal family systems in entrepreneurship: a migrant entrepreneurship phenomenon in Europe

Research identifies universal entrepreneurship peculiarities, but how legacy communal family systems impact migrant entrepreneurs has remained esoteric. Accordingly, we introduce an overlapping entrepreneurial action–migrant entrepreneurship theoretical interface to examine 1,284 European and sub-Saharan African entrepreneurs. Compared with a European entrepreneur’s nuclear family mindset, regression results reveal that a legacy communal family mindset of belonging and obligation to serve society influences a sub-Saharan African migrant entrepreneur’s behaviour, values, and entrepreneurship practice in a European setup. In this context, a legacy communal family system attributable to a migrant entrepreneur’s country of –origin underlies their entrepreneurial cognitive processes. This understanding contributes theoretical perspectives to account for how a sub-Saharan African migrant entrepreneur’s ingrained legacy communal family mindset does not decay irrespective of their circumstances. It also contributes knowledge, clarifying the prolonged impact of traditional socio-business philosophies in migrant entrepreneurship with academic, business, policy, and social implications.