Abstract:

Entrepreneurial learning under dynamic uncertainty, particularly in resource-scarce settings, is critical yet conceptually underdeveloped. This study theorizes adaptive problems - novel, ill-structured, and evolving challenges - as both triggers and contexts for learning, advancing an integrated model of self-directed learning and experiential learning that generates emergent contextual tacit knowledge. Through abductive thematic analysis of 104 documentary cases of rural agricultural entrepreneurs, we identify recursive learning cycles and processes that produce three knowledge outcomes - opportunity recognition, problem understanding, and adaptive solutions - enabling innovation in volatile settings. We contribute to theory and practice by: (1) reframing entrepreneurial learning as a generative rather than acquisitive process; (2) specifying mechanisms integrating self-directed learning and experiential learning under uncertainty; and (3) establishing emergent contextual tacit knowledge as a micro-foundation of adaptive capability in resource-constrained ventures facing dynamic uncertainty. The model delineates boundary conditions and offers practical implications for venture support, promoting micro-experiments and localized knowledge creation.

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Entrepreneurship

Keywords: International entrepreneurship;Entrepreneurship in emerging markets

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Prof Arun Sukumar