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David Mullen
Durham University Business School
Durham DH1 3LB
Telephone: 44-191-374-2223
Fax: 44-191-374-3748
Principal Topics
Between 1986 and 1992, 140 graduates, selected when still students, were helped to start businesses in a country-wide government sponsored scheme. Some 40 of these individuals continue to run businesses locally at some level of activity between survival and high growth. A few individuals have ceased trading by choice or force of circumstances. Acquisition of entrepreneurial skills has been observed. Precisely what these skills are, and how learned, has been examined and related to the typology of the business start-up situation.
Method
The graduates have been observed ethnographically in a business context
in a set of exploratory case studies. The actuality of their progress towards
trading, survival and growth is documented in written accounts. Evidence
of learned entrepreneurial skill has been observed at different stages
of the process of business formation, from original idea formulation to
an established business with profitable sets of accounts. The nature of
this learning is described and characterised. It is then related to the
kind of business chosen, and the kinds of activity necessitated by the
choice of business. Available models of learning in the literature
were surveyed in order to provide an explanation of what appears to be
observed. The most relevant description of learning found is that of situated
learning, defined as legitimate peripheral participation. It is a generalisation
from anthropological accounts of apprenticeships over a wide range of different
apprenticeships. This description of learning provides an analytical framework
with which to comment on any learning situation. Here it is applied to
the case of the learning entrepreneur.
Major findings
A consistent view of what the entrepreneurial learning process emerges.
Certain important aspects of entrepreneurship can be defined as practices
which can be learned and mastered. The level of success achieved depends
to a large extent on the entrepreneurial learning situation, with motivation
to learn linked strongly to the degree of awareness of, and contact with,
relevant business communities. One of these is the community of entrepreneurial
master practitioners. Another is the community of young entrepreneurs who
have been in business for a relatively short while and may be viewed as
a "near peer" group. For some of the young entrepreneurs in the sample,
their situation leads to barriers to contact with relevant communities
and learning is proportionately inhibited. A second finding is the benefit
for learning of situations which are akin to the apprenticeship model.
In a situation which is favourable to learning this means having access
to real business practices, but at a minimal or partial level, preferably
mentored, before proceeding to a larger scale or more comprehensive range
of business activity.
Implications
Facilitators aiming to assist in the business start-up process can
aim to optimise their support in relatively precise ways. Two complementary
areas of support are crucial?the design of the overall framework of support
for would-be entrepreneurs and the guidance given to them. Firstly, the
means should be available to provide access to relevant communites at every
stage of the process as well as access to entrepreneurial practice within
the community of entrepreneurs. Secondly, guidance for the would-be entrepreneur
should help him or her steer towards that type of business activity which
is most relevant to the stage of entrepreneurial learning so far achieved.
A model programme of support is proposed.