Self-regulation and dealing with uncertainty: How to support entrepreneurs to better cope with uncertain decision-making
Final Report Abstract
Entrepreneurs are often faced with the challenge of making decisions under great uncertainty and, at best, incomplete information. Recent entrepreneurship research is therefore intensively interested in psychological characteristics that make it easier for entrepreneurs to deal with the uncertainty of starting and developing a business. Many entrepreneurs are very good at assessing when they need to make quick “good decisions” and when it makes sense to seek further information in order to limit uncertainties as far as possible. However, how such assessment processes work in detail and what enables entrepreneurs to do this is still largely unexplored. We refer to the concept of cognitive and motivational self-regulation in order to explore how entrepreneurs can manage the dynamic relationship between uncertainty in decision-making situations and entrepreneurial learning. The ability to self-regulate may be the crucial element to understand how and why entrepreneurs can use the potential of learning to deal with uncertainty. Selfregulation makes it possible to actively control and regulate one's own perception and motivation. Self-regulated learning (SRL) focuses on the “how” of self-regulation, i.e. the actual thought processes that are carried out during self-regulation. Our research has two main objectives: First, to show the relationship between entrepreneurs' self-regulation abilities and their use of cognitive and motivational strategies in uncertain decision-making situations (Study 1). Second, to develop a pedagogical intervention to foster entrepreneurship learners' SRL skills (Study 2). Our first study analyzes the relationship between self-regulation and entrepreneurial learning and motivation under uncertainty. In a one-and-a-half-year longitudinal study with interviews, we are investigating how 134 aspiring entrepreneurs deal with decision-making processes under uncertainty. The second study uses a pre-post treatment control group design with a sample of students (n=299) and a sample of entrepreneurs (n=71). We analyze the effectiveness of educational interventions on the development of SRL skills.
Publications
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Cognitive Biases and Strategic Decision-Making: A Self-Regulation Perspective. AOM Conference, August 2021
Fust, A., Jenert, T., Winkler, C. & Kolbe, J.
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From entrepreneurial experience to expertise: A self-regulated learning perspective. Journal of Small Business Management, 61(4), 2071-2096.
Winkler, Christoph; Fust, Alexander & Jenert, Tobias
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Mit dem SREL-Training unternehmerische Selbstkompetenzen entwickeln. In: Erziehung & Unterricht, Nr. 5-6/2022, S. 383–393
Büker, R., Jenert, T., Fust, A., Fahrbach, M., Bellwald, N. & Winkler. C.
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Unternehmer*innen und Selbstregulation – ein Widerspruch? Jahrestagung der Sektion Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaften 2022, Freiburg, Deutschland, September 2022
Büker, R. & Jenert T.
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Beyond What Works: Developing (SREL-)Interventions in Entrepreneurship Education with Design-Based Research. Dissertation Paper
Fahrbach, M., Büker, R., Jenert, T. & Fust, A.
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Designing Self-Regulation interventions for different target groups in Entrepreneurship Education. EARLI 2023, Griechenland, August 2023
Jenert, T. & Büker, R.
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Fostering Self-Regulated Entrepreneurial Learning (SREL) in Entrepreneurship Education. AOM Conference, Boston, USA, August 2023
Fahrbach, M., Jenert, T., Fust, A., Bellwald, N., Büker R. & Winkler, C.
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Fostering Self-Regulated Entrepreneurial Learning (SREL) in Entrepreneurship Education: An Entrepreneurship Training for Nascent Entrepreneurs. Dissertation Paper
Fahrbach, M., Jenert, T.; Fust, A., Büker, R. & Bellwald, N.
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Selbstregulation von Unternehmer*innen – eine latente Klassenanalyse. Jahrestagung der Sektion Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaften 2023, Flensburg, Germany, September 2023
Büker R. & Bellwald, N.
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Self-Regulated Entrepreneurial Learning: Scale Development and Validation. BCERC Conference, Knoxville, USA, June 2023
Bellwald, N., Fust, A., Jenert, T. & Winkler, C.
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Taming Uncertainty: The Effects of Self-Regulated Entrepreneurial Learning on the Innovative Work Behaviour of Entrepreneurs. RENT Conference, Gdansk, Poland, November 2023
Bellwald, N.
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Vorstellung eines Trainings zur Förderung des selbstregulierten unternehmerischen Lernens in der Entrepreneurship-Education. Jahrestagung der Sektion Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaften 2023, Flensburg, Deutschland, September 2023
Büker, R., Fahrbach, M. & Jenert, T.
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Entrepreneurial Information Search Behavior for Opportunity Recognition: Scale Development and Validation. ISCB Conference, Berlin, Germany, July 2024
Bellwald, N. & Fust, A.
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Entrepreneurship Education auf allen Bildungsebenen – Eine systematische forschungsfragengeleitete Literaturrecherche zur zielgruppengerechten Entrepreneurship Education. Jahrestagung der Sektion Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaften 2024, Dresden, Deutschland, September 2024
Büker, R., Liszt-Rohlf, V. & Kamsker, S.
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Navigating uncertainty: Fostering adaptive capabilities in entrepreneurship education through SREL. 3E Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 2024
Bellwald, N.
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Navigating Uncertainty: Impact of Self-Regulated Learning on Entrepreneurs. RENT Conference, Nantes, France, November 2024
Bellwald, N.
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Open to the Unknown: Imaginativeness in Executives and Managers enables exploratory Innovation. AOM Conference, Chicago, USA, August 2024
Bellwald, N., Maran, T., Gauster, S., Fust, A. & Matzler, K.
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Self-Regulated Entrepreneurial Learning: A Catalyst for Fostering Innovation to Address Grand Challenges. EURAM Conference, Bath, United Kingdom, June 2024
Bellwald, N.
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Self-Regulated Entrepreneurial Learning: A Key to Innovation in a Dynamic World. AOM Conference, Chicago, USA, August 2024
Bellwald, N.
