재직자의 개인특성이 기술창업의도에 미치는 영향

In the context of accelerated digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, technological entrepreneurship has emerged as a critical driver of national competitiveness, playing a significant role in high value-added creation and job generation. Although interest in this area has grown, prior research has predominantly focused on university students and nascent entrepreneurs, leaving empirical studies on full-time employees—who often possess substantial work experience and access to resources—relatively scarce. In particular, while office workers with technical competencies and industry experience may be well-positioned to pursue technology-based ventures, limited empirical attention has been given to the psychological and behavioral antecedents shaping their technological entrepreneurial intention. To address these limitations, this study empirically examined the influence of personal characteristics on the intention to pursue technology-based entrepreneurship among employed individuals in Korea, drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to classify technical competence and curiosity as intrinsic motivators, and perceived employability, compensation satisfaction, and materialism as extrinsic motivators. Data were collected through a self-administered web-based survey of 400 employees across diverse industries. The dataset was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis(CFA), reliability testing, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis, utilizing SPSS and AMOS. The results reveal that technical competency, curiosity, and materialism exert significant positive effects on technological entrepreneurial intention, whereas perceived employability and compensation satisfaction do not show statistically significant relationships. These findings suggest that decisions to engage in technological entrepreneurship—an inherently high-risk and innovation-driven endeavor—are more strongly influenced by internal motivations, cognitive competencies, and value-oriented drives than by perceived job security or organizational satisfaction. Notably, technical competency and curiosity serve as core enablers, fostering creative problem-solving and proactive knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, materialism, often critiqued for its association with negative consumption behaviors, emerges here as a positive motivational factor, linking entrepreneurial intention to the pursuit of financial rewards and enhanced social status. This study contributes to the literature by underscoring the strategic relevance of individual characteristics in fostering technological entrepreneurship among employees. Theoretically, it extends the understanding of entrepreneurial intention by integrating both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational constructs. Practically, it offers actionable implications for policymakers and organizations seeking to activate technology-based startup ecosystems. Tailored support programs that strengthen technical competencies, cultivate intrinsic curiosity, and align material aspirations with entrepreneurial pathways are recommended. This research thus provides a comprehensive empirical foundation for developing inclusive and targeted entrepreneurship promotion strategies for experienced professionals.