Entrepreneurial competencies and the performance of informal SMEs: the contingent role of business environment

Ibidunni, AS, Ogundana, OM ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0121-7231 and Okonkwo, A, 2021. Entrepreneurial competencies and the performance of informal SMEs: the contingent role of business environment. Journal of African Business, 22 (4), pp. 468-490. ISSN 1522-8916

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Abstract

This study examined entrepreneurial competencies as a viable pathway for improving the innovative performance of SMEs in Nigeria's informal sector and the contingent roles of the business environment. A survey research design was used to gather data from 296 entrepreneurs who operate informal SMEs in Nigeria. Based on the findings from the SEM-PLS multivariate analysis, the study concluded that entrepreneurial competencies, especially organising, conceptual, learning, strategic, opportunity and risk-taking competencies, are essential for achieving higher innovation performance. The study also reveals that entrepreneurial competencies are useful towards mitigating environmental pressures resulting from operational turbulence and erratic policy changes, as the firm drives towards improving innovation outputs. As such, the entrepreneurship environment is becoming more endogenous as entrepreneurs, through their entrepreneurial competencies, have started to gain control over it. This study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by highlighting the most essential competencies alongside the relevant contingencies. By doing that, this study offers a practical guide on priority competence area that entrepreneurship stakeholders, including entrepreneurs and policymakers, should consider for investment.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of African Business
Creators:	Ibidunni, A.S., Ogundana, O.M. and Okonkwo, A.
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis (Routledge)
Date:	October 2021
Volume:	22
Number:	4
ISSN:	1522-8916
Identifiers:	Number Type 1399070 Other 10.1080/15228916.2021.1874784 DOI
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	13 Jan 2021 11:24
Last Modified:	06 Sep 2022 13:32
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/42030

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