Jens Unger

Deliberate practice among South African small business owners : Relationships with education, cognitive ability, knowledge, and success

The study examines antecedents and outcomes of deliberate practice activities in South African small businesses. Deliberate practice consists of individualized self-regulated and effortful activities aimed at improving ones current performance level. Interview and questionnaire data from 90 South African business owners showed a direct impact of deliberate practice on entrepreneurial knowledge as well as an indirect effect on business growth via entrepreneurial knowledge. Cognitive ability and education were identified as antecedents of deliberate practice. Findings underline the importance of continuous proactive learning efforts in small business. The results of this study are relevant for policy makers, consultants, and credit providers.

National culture and cultural orientations of owners affecting the innovation-growth relationship in five countries

This study tests the cross-cultural validity of the relationship between innovation and growth in a sample of 857 business owners from five different countries: China, Germany, the Netherlands, Peru and Russia. We found that innovation is effective in each country, suggesting universal relationships. In addition, cultural variables moderated the innovation–growth relationship. Finally, our cross-level operator analysis revealed that both cultural orientations of owners and national culture explain variance in innovation–growth relationships. Thus, we found interactions across difference levels of culture, which have theoretical and practical implications for cross-cultural entrepreneurship research.