Exploring the Link Between Mentoring and Intangible Outcomes of Entrepreneurship: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Moderating Effects of Gender

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education is increasingly becoming a focal strategy for promoting entrepreneurship, particularly to foster entrepreneurial intentions and startups. However, learning and support are equally important after startup for novice entrepreneurs to gain a good level of confidence to manage their business and achieve the desired outcomes. Using a sample of 189 young self-employed individuals in Uganda, this study examines the differential impact of mentoring and self-efficacy on the achievement of intangible outcomes of entrepreneurship including satisfaction of need for autonomy, work satisfaction and the intention to stay in self-employment. We found self-efficacy to mediate the effects of mentoring on these intangible outcomes. In addition, the results showed substantial gender differences. Whereas women's satisfaction of the need for autonomy and intention to stay in self-employment were strongly associated with the direct effects of mentoring, their male counterparts seemed to benefit more if mentoring resulted in increased self-efficacy. Overall, our findings suggest that whereas mentoring improves the competence of small business owners and consequently achievement of superior outcomes, mentoring should also focus on boosting self-efficacy which in turn is essential for the application of the entrepreneurial competencies.

Caught Between Autonomy and Insecurity: A Work-Psychological View on Resources and Strain of Small Business Owners in Germany

“…Moreover, we conducted interviews in a developed country where the pressure to become an entrepreneur is comparably low than in less developed countries, where entrepreneurship might be the only viable option (e.g., Baluku et al, 2019 , 2020 ). Hence, the “push” to start a business might increase for people in developing countries.…”

Role of Education and Mentorship in Entrepreneurial Behavior: Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy

“…Compared with someone with low self-efficacy, a farmer with high self-efficacy is more willing to pursue and complete a task ( Elliott et al, 2020 ). The level of reported self-efficacy in one area is frequently unrelated to perceived self-efficacy in some other ( Baluku et al, 2020 ). Scholars of entrepreneurship have established the concept of “entrepreneurial self-efficacy” to concentrate on activities in the entrepreneurial domain to improve the prediction performance of self-efficacy assessments ( Neneh, 2020 ).…”

Bridging the gap in real estate enterprise: the impact of mentoring on entrepreneurial intentions of real estate students in Nigeria

“…As such, several studies have identified mentoring as a vital factor moderating entrepreneurial students' intentions (Bosma et al. , 2012; Gimmon, 2014; Baluku et al. , 2020).…”

“…The study affirmed that the inclusion of mentoring in the educational curriculum of higher education institutions could increase entrepreneurial intentions and engender entrepreneurial activities. Also, Baluku et al. (2020) assessed the relationship between entrepreneurial mentoring and the entrepreneurial intention of students.…”