Analyzing the Effect of Entrepreneur Coach Capabilities on the Formation of Entrepreneur Capabilities

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Entrepreneurship, Qa.c.,Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran

2 Department of Educational Management, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

3 Faculty of Management and Accounting, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract
Entrepreneurial coaching, as a structured developmental intervention, can be effective in helping entrepreneurs overcome challenges. However, a significant research gap exists in understanding the mechanism through which entrepreneurs' coaching capabilities influence the formation of entrepreneurial capabilities. This research was conducted with the aim of analyzing the effect of entrepreneurs' coaching capabilities on the formation of entrepreneurial capabilities in the food industry using a mixed-methods approach (qualitative-quantitative) and with an applied objective. This research employed a mixed-methods (qualitative-quantitative) approach and was applied in nature. In the qualitative part, the meta-synthesis method and content analysis of 62 selected articles were used. In the quantitative part, data were collected through researcher-made questionnaires from two groups: coaches and entrepreneurs (50 people in each group) and were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Smart PLS software. In the qualitative part, a framework comprising 6 dimensions of entrepreneurial capabilities and 8 dimensions of coaching capabilities was designed. The quantitative findings indicated that the strongest direct effects were related to the impact of "coach's knowledge and skill transfer" on "entrepreneur's knowledge and skill transfer" (0.812) and "entrepreneur's psychological growth" (0.809). Furthermore, the research model possessed very high explanatory power (R² between 0.681 and 0.972).

Keywords

Subjects

1.      Al-Buainain, S. (2017). An Innovation Study: Designing a Social Entrepreneurship Coaching Model for Entrepreneurs (Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California).
2.      Audet, J., & Couteret, P. (2012). Coaching the entrepreneur: features and success factors. Journal of small business and enterprise development, 19(3), 515-531.http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14626001211250207
3.      Barrager, S. M. (2016). A new engineering profession is emerging: decision coach. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 44(2), 33-40.
4.      Ben Salem, A., & Lakhal, L. (2018). Entrepreneurial coaching: how to be modeled and measured? Journal of Management Development, 37(1), 88-100.
5.      Bloem, S. (2022). The perceived impact of entrepreneurial coaching in the decision making of entrepreneurs within South African SMMEs (Doctoral dissertation, Wits Business School). https://hdl.handle.net/10539/37267
6.      Bozer, G., & Jones, R. J. (2018). Understanding the factors that determine workplace coaching effectiveness: A systematic literature review. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 27(3), 342-361. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/1359432X.2018.1446946
7.       Brinkley, M. L., & Le Roux, I. L. (2018). Coaching as a support function for potential entrepreneurs. The Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, 10(1), 1-12.http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajesbm.v10i1.99
8.      Busch, C., Dreyer, R., & Janneck, M. (2021). Blended recovery and burnout coaching for small-business copreneurs. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 73(1), 65.
9.      Crompton, B. M., & Smyrnios, K. X. (2011). What difference does business coaching make to entrepreneurs’ firm performance and future growth? In 56th Annual International Council of Small Business World Conference, Stockholm, Sweden (pp. 1-20).
10.  Davidsson, P. (2016). Researching entrepreneurship: Conceptualization and design (2nd ed.). Springer.
11.  Fillery‐Travis, A., & Lane, D. A. (2020). Does coaching work or are we asking the wrong question? Coaching Researched: A Coaching Psychology Reader, 47-63.
12.  Fredholm, J. K., van de Kerkhof, C., & Creation, N. V. (2020). Entrepreneurial coaching & well-being. https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/search/publication/9013912
13.  Galanakis, C. M. (2024). The future of food. Foods, 13(4), 506.
14.  Grant, A. M. (2013). The efficacy of coaching. The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of the psychology of coaching and mentoring, 15-39.
15.  Hullova, D., Simms, C. D., Trott, P., & Laczko, P. (2019). Critical capabilities for effective management of complementarity between product and process innovation: Cases from the food and drink industry. Research Policy, 48(1), 339-354.
16.  IDRIS, M. M. B., & ABU BAKAR, S. B. (2020). Perceived usefulness of business coaching on the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and business success. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 7(10), 329-338. http://dx.doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.n10.329
17.  Javidan, M. (1998). Core Competence: What Does it Mean in Practice? Long Range Planning, 31(1), 60-71.
18.  Kotte, S., Diermann, I., Rosing, K., & Möller, H. (2021). Entrepreneurial coaching: A two‐dimensional framework in context. Applied Psychology, 70(2), 518-555.
19.  Kroeze, G. (2022). Entrepreneurial Coaching: how processes vary to reach entrepreneur’s and investors’ goals in SMEs (Master's thesis, University of Twente).https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/89287
20.  Mansoori, Y., Karlsson, T., & Lundqvist, M. (2019). The influence of the lean startup methodology on entrepreneur-coach relationships in the context of a startup accelerator. Technovation, 84, 37-47.
21.  Marras, G., Opizzi, M., & Loi, M. (2024). Understanding the multifunctional role of entrepreneurial coaching through a systematic review of the literature. Journal of Managerial Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JMP-01-2023-0070
22.  Ndlovu-Hlatshwayo, E., & Msimango-Galawe, J. (2023). The Critical Success Factors for Entrepreneurial Coaching in South African Business Incubators. Jurnal Maksipreneur: Manajemen, Koperasi, dan Entrepreneurship, 13(1), 56-72. https://ejournal.up45.ac.id/index.php/maksipreneur/article/view/1520
23.  Nwankwo, C. A., & Chendo, N. A. (2023). Understanding entrepreneurship origin and process. Scholars Journal of Economics, Business and Management, 10(2), 29–38.
24.  Palmer, S., & Whybrow, A. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of coaching psychology: A guide for practitioners. Routledge.
25.  Pekkan, N. Ü. (2018). Is it possible to improve self-efficacy with coaching? International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, 9(33), 2017-2032.
26.  Saadaoui, S., & Affess, H. (2015). Evaluating the role of coaching on developing entrepreneurial self-efficacy. European Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 3(11), 54-61.
27.  Sandelowski, M., Sandelowski, M. J., & Barroso, J. (2006). Handbook for synthesizing qualitative research. springer publishing company.
28.  Ting, S. X., Feng, L., & Qin, W. (2017). The effect of entrepreneur mentoring and its determinants in the Chinese context. Management Decision, 55(7), 1410-1425.
29.  Tsai, L., & Barr, J. (2021). Coaching in small and medium business sectors (SMEs): a narrative systematic review. Small Enterprise Research, 28(1), 1-22.https://doi.org/10.1080/13215906.2021.1878384
30.  Van Rensburg, L. J. (2013). The Influence of Coaching on Entrepreneurial Goal-setting Behaviour (Doctoral dissertation, University of South Africa).
31.  Aslani, F., Gholipour, A. and Nargesian, A. (2022). A Reflective Learning Model in Coaching Relationships in the Information and Communication Technology Industry. Journal of Iranian Public Administration Studies, 5(4), 157-193. doi: 10.22034/jipas.2022.325871.1340. [In Persian]
32.  Azizi, M, & Goodarzi, A. (2018). Human Capital Development by Coaching Approach: Specific Business Coaches’ Competencies. Journal of Training and Development of Human Resources, 5(16), 97-115. https://sid.ir/paper/255562/en References. . [In Persian]
33.  Bakhtiari, M., Hosseininia, G. (2023). Designing the self-efficacy model of Business coaches, the future of the labor market (a phenomenological study). Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research, 2(3), 1-16. doi: 10.22034/eir.2023.183927. . [In Persian]
34.  Faramarzi, M., Mohammadi Elyasi, G., Talebi, K. (2022). Identifying the Factors Influencing the Selection of Coaching Style by Managers of Fast-Growing Businesses. Journal of Entrepreneurship Development, 15(3), 522-538. doi: 10.22059/jed.2022.319765.653616. . [In Persian]
35.  Ghiafeh Davoodi, Z., Chitsaz, E., & Mobaraki, M. H. (2024). Enhancing Entrepreneurial Mindsets through Cognitive-Behavioral Coaching: An Interventional-Corrective Approach from Experts’ Perspectives. Education and Management of Entrepreneurship, 3(2), 92-69. doi: 10.22126/eme.2024.10112.1085 References. . [In Persian]
36.  Hosseinloo, H. Azizi, M. (2020). The Outcomes of Entrepreneurial Coaching in Small and Medium Businesses. Journal of Entrepreneurship Development, 13(3), 341-359. doi: 10.22059/jed.2020.296710.653262. . [In Persian]
37.  Nayeri, S., Hejazi, S. Sakhdari, K. (2021). The effect of open innovation on process innovation in Iranian Food SMEs: The Moderating Effect of Learning Capability and Appropriation Capability. Journal of Entrepreneurship Development, 14(3), 541-560. doi: 10.22059/jed.2021.317197.653570 References. . [In Persian]
Volume 35, Issue 120
Summer 2026
Pages 1-34

  • Receive Date 24 October 2025
  • Revise Date 13 December 2025
  • Accept Date 22 December 2025