Abstract
Abstract
This qualitative intrinsic case study’s purpose was to explore how entrepreneurial leadership was utilized in a midwestern mission-driven company that has been in existence for ten years. Company documents and 27 participant interviews were reviewed during the four data analysis phases. The preparation step prepared the data for analysis, while the exploration step included three open coding stages: in vivo, line-by-line, and descriptive. The specification segment identified the following themes related to the entrepreneurial leadership and mission-driven categories: transitioning from a start-up to an established company requires a different leadership skill set, the leaders are growth-minded, the leaders communicate, the mission provides purpose, the mission guides company decision making, and the mission is an integral part of company culture. The integration phase explored how the mission-driven component influenced how entrepreneurial leadership was understood and experienced in the company. The discussion section reviewed how the literature pertained to the study's identification of transformational leadership and how different leadership skills are needed to transition from a start-up to an established company. Recommendations based on the case study's data and literature review suggested that educational communities include entrepreneurial leadership and mission-driven components and collaboration between nonprofit organizations, traditional companies, start-ups, government agencies, and mission-driven companies to promote entrepreneurial and mission-driven leadership. Implications for future research and for leadership theory and practice are also reviewed. Keywords: intrinsic case study, mission-driven, entrepreneurial leadership, in vivo coding, line-by-line coding, descriptive coding, transformational leadership