Six hundred forty-two of 1, 218 randomly sampled social workers certified in Texas as advanced clinical practitioners responded to a mailed questionnaire as part of a study of entrepreneurial personality traits, value systems, and choice of a practice setting. An ecological model for practice-setting choice is outlined. Three groups of practitioners—agency practitioners, combination practitioners, and those in private practice only—are compared on their scores on a 46-item, Likert-scaled personality inventory. One-way ANOVA and Tukey-B post-hoc tests yielded significant one-way differences between the private practitioner group compared with the agency practitioner group on three of the four entrepreneurial personality characteristics studied. Scores on locus of control/need for achievement were not significantly different. Ramifications for agencies and the profession are discussed and policy recommendations are advanced.
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