Human flourishing from eudaimonic balance of values in entrepreneurs

Much of the focus in the entrepreneurial literature is on the primacy of financial values but in this paper, we argue that this is misplaced. Instead, we propose that entrepreneurs pursue an eudaimonic balance of values to achieve human flourishing. Using insights from the institutional logics perspective, we present findings from an empirical, qualitative, cross-cultural, multi-case study in Taiwan and Vietnam. We show how entrepreneurs strive for a range of goals from different facets of life, demonstrating the importance of non-financial goals for eudaimonia, or human flourishing. We contribute insights from outside the commonly studied North American and European contexts, showing the importance of culture and tradition in shaping the influences operating upon individuals and the value-laden objectives they pursue. Consequently, we illustrate the need for a more complex and complete framing of entrepreneurial values that contradicts much of the literature employing rational-actor theory, economic models, and quantitative analysis.