JOURNAL OF APPLIED BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Mentoring Fit, Social Learning, and Venture Progress During Business Incubation
Author(s): Zohreh Hassannezhad Chavoushi, Charlene L. Nicholls-Nixon, Dave Valliere
Citation: Zohreh Hassannezhad Chavoushi, Charlene L. Nicholls-Nixon, Dave Valliere, (2020) "Mentoring Fit, Social Learning, and Venture Progress During Business Incubation," Journal of Applied Business and Economics, Vol. 22, Iss.14, pp. 23-39
Article Type: Research paper
Publisher: North American Business Press
Abstract:
We explored how incubated entrepreneurs conceptualize mentoring, and how mentoring affects venture progress. This qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with 18 entrepreneurs incubated in four Canadian BIs. Interview data was transcribed and analyzed using NVivo software. The conceptual model suggests that the ‘fit’ between entrepreneur’s needs and the provided mentoring services matters to the outcomes of business incubation. Mentoring fit is conceptualized along three dimensions: content, quality, and availability. When fit is high, incubated entrepreneurs learn important lessons directly and vicariously from mentors. But when fit is low, it is inadequate to support social learning and will not have positive effects.