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Emergent learning and change in strategy: empirical study of Chinese serial entrepreneurs with failure experience

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  • Song Lin

    (Central University of Finance and Economics)

  • Yasuhiro Yamakawa

    (Babson College)

  • Jing Li

    (Central University of Finance and Economics)

Abstract

The risk and uncertainty of entrepreneurial activity is high, and failures are common. The existing literature has emphasized that serial entrepreneurs can learn from failures, but studies on how learning affects strategic actions in subsequent entrepreneurship activities are rare. This paper uses the strategic incrementalism perspective to focus on emergent learning and changes in strategy for serial entrepreneurs with failure experience. The empirical results demonstrate that with more intensive emergent learning, serial entrepreneurs make more substantial strategic changes in subsequent entrepreneurship endeavors, and entrepreneurial performance can moderate such relationships.

Suggested Citation

  • Song Lin & Yasuhiro Yamakawa & Jing Li, 2019. "Emergent learning and change in strategy: empirical study of Chinese serial entrepreneurs with failure experience," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 773-792, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:intemj:v:15:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s11365-018-0554-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11365-018-0554-z
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    2. Patel, Pankaj C. & Tsionas, Mike & Oghazi, Pejvak & Izquierdo, Vanessa, 2022. "No entrepreneur steps in the same river twice: Limited learning advantage for serial entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 1038-1052.
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    4. Nizar Mtibaa & Sami Boudabbous, 2023. "The Realities of Learning through Failure in Entrepreneurship: Results of Qualitative Research," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 13(2), pages 19-27, March.
    5. Fernando Zambrano Farias & María del Carmen Valls Martínez & Pedro Antonio Martín-Cervantes, 2021. "Explanatory Factors of Business Failure: Literature Review and Global Trends," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-26, September.
    6. Zhuang Xiong & Pengju Wang & Chengxia Wu, 2022. "How to encourage innovation failure knowledge sharing in virtual research organization: an incentive mechanism based on game theory," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 193-213, September.

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