2020/01/16 by Magdalena Markowska, Johan Wiklund
Business, Management and Accounting · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Creativity in Education and Neuroscience #Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences #Innovations in Educational Methods
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/08985626.2020.1713222
openalex publication_date 2020/01/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The entrepreneurial learning literature remains underdeveloped and lacks a clear understanding of the learning process. Building on an in-depth case study of four Scandinavian gourmet restauranteurs, we argue that learning to act on entrepreneurial tasks involves opening-up and focusing processes. We propose a process model that specifies how changing perceptions of complexity and self-efficacy influence an individual’s preference for experimentation (opening up) and modelling (focusing) when acquiring new experience. Specifically, in situations perceived as complex, individuals will likely opt for modelling; however, individuals who feel highly self-efficacious will likely rely more on experimentation.