Publication Type
PhD Dissertation
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
4-2025
Abstract
China's current economic development faces multiple pressures, including contracting demand, supply shocks, and weakening expectations. Coupled with changes in the market environment and structural employment mismatches, entrepreneurship has become a key driver for economic growth, job creation, and the enhancement of social resilience. Against this backdrop, the impact of entrepreneurship coaching on founder development and business performance has drawn increasing attention. This study systematically explores how external coaches, through various coaching methods, frequencies, and competencies, influence entrepreneurs' growth and further improve business performance.
Based on literature review and theoretical analysis, a mediation effect model is constructed to empirically examine the mechanisms through which external coaching affects founders’ innovation and entrepreneurial capability ("Chuangli") and psychological resilience ("Xinli"). The findings reveal that external coaches significantly enhance founders’ Chuangli and Xinli through methods such as regular review sessions and one-on-one coaching. The improvement of these two capabilities further drives better business performance. Coaching frequency and coaching competence are found to be critical in strengthening founder capabilities, reflecting the long-term value of entrepreneurship coaching.
Drawing on these results, this paper proposes an innovative coaching model that emphasizes personalized guidance, systematic implementation, and comprehensive capability enhancement for founders. The model supports entrepreneurial growth in areas such as innovation, operations, and resilience through regular reviews, tailored instruction, and strategic support. It not only boosts short-term performance but also lays a foundation for long-term sustainable development. The practical value of this study lies in providing a scientific basis for optimizing entrepreneurship coaching systems and offering policy recommendations for governments, investors, and entrepreneurship service platforms to promote entrepreneurship-driven employment.
Keywords
Entrepreneurship Coaching, Coaching Mechanism, Founder Capabilities, Business Performance, Mediation Effect
Degree Awarded
Doctor of Bus Admin (CKGSB)
Discipline
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
Supervisor(s)
LIANG, Hao
First Page
1
Last Page
244
Publisher
Singapore Management University
City or Country
Singapore
Citation
WU, Zhixiang.
Exploring the impact of entrepreneurship coaching and mentoring models on founder capabilities and business performance. (2025). 1-244.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/etd_coll/758
Copyright Owner and License
Author
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.