The Curious Relationship Between Military Service and Entrepreneurial Intentions in Israel

• Author: Brian A. Polin,Chaim M. Ehrman
• DOI: 10.1177/0095327X18789074
• Date: 01 July 2020
• Published date: 01 July 2020
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

The Curious Relationship

Between Military Service

and Entrepreneurial

Intentions in Israel

Brian A. Polin

1

and Chaim M. Ehrman

1

Abstract

Our research, based on a sample of 500 veterans currently studying at Israeli col-

leges and universities, suggests that certain aspects of military service are associated

with greater entrepreneurial intentions. Specifically, the desire to engage in entre-

preneurship is higher among veterans with command experience than veterans

without. Similarly, veterans of technological units generally express greater entre-

preneurial interest than veterans of combat units. A comparison of commissioned

and noncommissioned officers yields curious results and offers a possible direction

for further investigation. Although Israel is among the few countries that maintains a

mandatory draft, the general applicability of these findings to countries with

volunteer forces is discussed.

Keywords

technology, veterans, entrepreneurship, Israel, command/control, professionalism/

leadership

Davidsson and Honig (2003) note correlations between human capital and social

capital and an “increase in the probability of becoming a nascent entrepreneur.” As

they define it, human capital stems mainly from formal education and prior entre-

preneurial experience, while social capital is derived from parents and close friends

1

Jerusalem College of Technology, Jerusalem, Israel

Corresponding Author:

Brian A. Polin, Jerusalem College of Technology, 21 Havaad Haleumi St., Jerusalem 91160, Israel.

Email: polin@jct.ac.il

Armed Forces & Society

2020, Vol. 46(3) 438-453

ªThe Author(s) 2018

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/0095327X18789074

journals.sagepub.com/home/afs

who own businesses and membership in organ izations. Swed and Butler (2015)

expand upon Davidsson and Honig’s two forms of capital, adding a third called

“cultural capital.” As Swed and Butler’s three forms of capital refer specifically to

skills and know-how derived from military service, they are bundled under the title

“military capital.” As they define it, human capital consists of a set of skills, social

capital consists of social networks, and cultural capital involves desirable beha-

viors learned in the military. Although some militarily derived skills and behaviors

may make a veteran more inclined to engage in entrepreneurship, not all do. It is

unlikely that marksmanship training will prepare one to become the next Jeff

Bezos! Similarly, while some informal networks of former comrades in arms may

be beneficial for the aspiring entrepreneur, not every platoon mate is a potential

business colleague. Are there certain types of military service that enhance one’s

entrepreneurial intent (EI)? In seeking to answer this question, we investigate the

impact of command experience, as well as unit type (combat, technological, other)

on the veteran’s EI. While command experience may provide the veteran with

leadership and management skills and behaviors beneficial to an aspiring entre-

preneur, service in a technological unit may provide valuable high-tech skills and a

social network of similarly skilled friends. The combination of Israel’s mandatory

military draft and its sophisticated entrepreneurial ecosystem make the country the

ideal setting for this research.

Relevance of Military Skills for Civilian Employment

Kleykamp (2009) determines that militarily acquired competencies such as admin-

istrative skills, human resources, logistics, technical services, and financial planning

are actually sought after in civilian employment—all of which are variant forms of

human capital. While combat skills per se are not transferable to the civilian world,

indirect benefits of service in combat units such as discipline, physical fitness,

cohesion, and the ability to work in teams are highly valued. To these, Kelty,

Kleykamp, and Segal (2010) add responsibility, health, constant training, self-

improvement, and community and civic engagement.

Despite the apparent relevance of these military-spawned skills in the civilian

workplace, Jelusic (2006) finds that it may be difficult to bring them to bear because

military personnel are unaccustomed to using their own initiative. In the context of

entrepreneurship, the lack of initiative makes any entrepreneurial activity an impos-

sibility. In a study based on in-depth interviews with members of the South African

National Defense Force, Kramm and Heinecken (2015) conclude that “military

culture is in many ways an antithesis to civilian life” (p. 130), though many skills

acquired in the technical and support branches increase the ex-serviceman’s like-

lihood of employment in the private sector.

While the U.S. army was in the midst of a major downsizing effort in the

early 1990s, the suitability of demobilized soldiers for the civilian job market was

a topic of intense debate. Of all army jobs, 27%are related to infantry and tank

Polin and Ehrman 439