Learning Agility and Personal Agency in University-Based Nascent Entrepreneurs

This paper examines the relationship between learning agility and personal agency among nascent entrepreneurs within the framework of social cognitive theory. The analysis is based on the data from the 10th GUESSS round, administrated among university students in Bulgaria in 2023. Learning agility is defined as an individual’s preference (and more broadly – ability) for engaging with unique learning experiences. The study finds out that female nascent entrepreneurs are more agile in terms of learning, as well as graduate students in comparison with bachelors. We conduct explorative factor analysis of 13 items measuring personal agency using the concepts of resilience and adaptability, life-satisfaction and self-efficacy across different entrepreneurial stages: nascent, active and non-entrepreneurial. Personal agency is the ability to take decisions and perform actions to achieve one’s goals and influence the environment and others. Personal agencies assume self-confidence, internal locus of control and dynamic capabilities. We find a significant positive correlation between learning agility and two of the factors identified - resilience, as well as with life-satisfaction, but not significant relationship with the third factor - self-efficacy. Social cognitive theory and our observations suggest that fostering resilience and life satisfaction from one side and learning agility from another are self-reinforcing each other. Fostering learning agility could lead to more effective entrepreneurial education and leadership development.