In the previous section, I provided a
discussion on entrepreneurial learning. To understand how a business
mentor guides the entrepreneur's learning, we need to discuss the
three functions a business mentor normally plays in relation to an
entrepreneur. These functions enable entrepreneurial self-efficacy;
however, a smaller category of these functions, I'll argue, also
enable entrepreneurial learning. Essentially, I will attempt to show
that entrepreneurial learning is enabled through mentorship by the
information support, confrontation, guide, and role-model functions.
Etienne St-jean, an expert in the field
of business mentorship, presents three major functions the mentor
plays: the psychological, the career-related, and the
role model function. These three major functions have several
sub-functions and were determined from a study documenting and
analyzing mentor mentee relationships that lasted an average of 16.06
months (standard deviation: 14.4, median: 13) with the mean and
average frequency of meetings at once a month and just under a month,
respectively, and an average meeting time of 68.52 minutes (standard
deviation: 14.4, mean: 67) (2).
The psychological sub-functions include
reflector, reassurance, motivation, and confidant. The mentor as a
reflector, provides feedback on the entrepreneur's strengths
and weaknesses, providing a space to identify these strengths that
can be leveraged and weaknesses that should be worked on. The mentor
as reassurance, aids the entrepreneur in difficult times when
problems need to be put into perspective. The mentor as a motivator
builds the entrepreneur's self-confidence in his abilities. The
mentor as a confidant creates a safe space where entrepreneur
may confide in the mentor (2).
The career-related sub-functions
include integration, information support, confrontation, and guide.
The mentor as integrator facilitates introductions with
various business contacts; and on average, the study learned that
mentors introduced the entrepreneurs to 3.44 persons, with a standard
deviation of 3.47). The mentor as information support provides
provides strategic business advice based on personal experience and
knowledge. The mentor as confrontation, the mentor confronts
the entrepreneur's beliefs and ideas such that the entrepreneur may
learn to overcome any beliefs or ideas that may prevent the
entrepreneur from accomplishing his goals. The mentor as a guide
provides a big picture perspective to help the entrepreneur
understand the context they're building a business in (2).
The last category, the role model
function does not have any sub-functions. The mentor as a role
model focuses on the mentor's life stories to be used as examples
for the entrepreneur to learn from (2).
The mentor in a long-term relationship
with an entrepreneur should also be focusing on increasing
entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is believing in the
efficacy of ones own skills. Thus, entrepreneurial self-efficacy is
the entrepreneur's belief that she has sufficient skill to tackle the
problem at hand. In a study done by Etienne St-jean, he discovered
there's a positive correlation when a mentor encourages
entrepreneurial self-efficacy, the entrepreneur has increased job
satisfaction and have a higher intention to stay as a career
entrepreneur (3).
Applying These Concepts to my
Thesis:
Since I've only observed short-term
mentoring relationships, or at least the beginnings of possibly
longer relationships, not all of these functions have been observed
during the process of this thesis. The sub-functions observed include
integrator, information support, confrontation, guide, and role
model. During the interactions between mentor and entrepreneur, the
career related and role modeling functions have been observed. The
psychological functions have not clearly been observed.
The sub-functions information support,
confrontation, and guide are most directly related to entrepreneurial
learning. Even though this vocabulary isn't used throughout the
thesis, these sub-functions informed what to observe when making
sense of how mentoring interactions enable entrepreneurial learning.
Takeaway:
Entrepreneurial learning is enabled
through mentorship by the information support, confrontation, guide,
and role-model functions.
Sources:
- Cull, John. “Mentoring Young Entrepreneurs: What Leads to Success?”
- St-Jean, Etienne. “Mentoring Functions for Novice Entrepreneurs”
- St-Jean, Etienne. “The Influence of Mentoring on Mentee's Satisfaction and Career: The Role of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy”
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