Entrepreneurial Learning to Entrepreneurial Ability: A Study Based on the Perspective of Subject and Process

Abstract

Entrepreneurial learning can greatly promote entrepreneurial success, but existing research pays little attention on the role of entrepreneurial learning subjects at other levels such as employees, teams and organizations. Besides, existing research is silent about what kind of learning process corresponds with different levels of learning subjects . Then, existing research fails to deeply reveal the path of different learning subjects to improve the new firm performance. There are many research gaps that need to be solved in the existing entrepreneurial learning research. This study intends to fill in the current gaps from three aspects. First, the entrepreneurial learning subject is the key initiative body in the knowledge” of entrepreneurial learning. Second, based on introducing the 4I learning process, this study refines entrepreneurial learning process into four sub-processes, including intuiting, interpreting, integrating, and institutionalizing. Third, this study integrates the knowledge” and the action” of entrepreneurial learning organically, and uses the knowledge-action oneness” theory to interpret a complete path of entrepreneurial learning subject → 4I entrepreneurial learning process → entrepreneurial ability”. The main conclusions of this study are as follows: First, entrepreneurship learning subjects include entrepreneurs, employees, teams and organizations. Second, entrepreneurial learning process includes intuiting, interpreting, integrating and institutionalizing. Third, different entrepreneurship subjects have their own entrepreneurship abilities. Fourth, different entrepreneurship subjects enhance their entrepreneurship abilities through their respective entrepreneurship learning process. This study contributes in the following two aspects: First, based on the perspective of subject and process, this study constructs a relatively complete theoretical framework of entrepreneurial learning to entrepreneurial ability. Second, based on the viewpoint of knowledge-action oneness”, this study establishes a hierarchy system of entrepreneurial ability. Then this study demonstrates the path of entrepreneurial learning subject → 4I entrepreneurial learning process → entrepreneurial ability”.