Purpose How do entrepreneurs learn from critical events or significant entrepreneurial experience? It is an important field in entrepreneurship cognition and learning studies. Previous studies have given interpretations from many perspectives, such as effectuation, scenario change of entrepreneurial behaviors, cognitive development, situated learning, etc. These studies provide important clues for exploring the dynamic mechanism of entrepreneurship learning; the problems, such as narrow study angle, fragmentation of knowledge and lack of systematic explanation, however, have also been exposed. For this reason, this study aims to reveal the deep structure and the effectiveness mechanism of entrepreneurs’ learning from critical events, based on existing theoretical progress and specific cases, through the abstract method of retrospective analysis. A conceptual model of entrepreneurial critical events learning is built on this basis, thus deepening the understanding of entrepreneurial learning mechanism. Design/methodology/approach This study combines retrospection of critical realism with a single case study. On the one hand, data are collected through many channels, such as semi-structured interview, field observation and collection of secondhand information to describe events as detailed as possible. On the other hand, strict coding principles and processes are followed to ensure the validity and reliability of the research. Findings Entrepreneurial critical event learning reflects the legitimacy, competency and dominancy of entrepreneurial behavior script and leaves a positive influence on the quality improvement of entrepreneurial behavior script. Entrepreneurial critical event learning is an effectual process of decision-making and a process of situated learning and cognitive development. Thus, critical event learning plays an important role in enhancing the influence capacity of stakeholders. Research limitations/implications Single case study is used in this paper and, thus, lacks comparison and verification of multi-case study. In addition, selection biases might have occurred during the process of retrospection. Originality/value This study broadens research on new enterprise generation process from the aspect of interaction between entrepreneurs and environment. This study reveals the deep structure and effectiveness mechanisms that restrain entrepreneurial behaviors. The study overcomes the problem of over-emphasis on institutional restriction and insufficient understanding on the subjective initiative of entrepreneurs in the research on institutional legitimacy. This study addresses over-emphasis on individual initiative and insufficient focus on behavior legitimacy in effectuation theory.

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企业家如何从重大事件中学习？关键事件学习案例研究

目的企业家如何从重大事件或重要的企业家经验中学习？这是创业认知和学习研究的重要领域。先前的研究从许多角度给出了解释，例如影响力，企业家行为的情景变化，认知发展，情境学习等。这些研究为探索创业学习的动力机制提供了重要的线索。然而，诸如学习角度狭窄，知识分散和缺乏系统解释等问题也已经暴露出来。因此，本研究旨在通过回顾性分析的抽象方法，在现有理论进展和具体案例的基础上，揭示企业家从重大事件中学习的深层结构和有效性机制。在此基础上建立了企业关键事件学习的概念模型，从而加深了对企业学习机制的理解。设计/方法论/方法这项研究结合了对批判现实主义的回顾和一个案例研究。一方面，通过许多渠道收集数据，例如半结构化访谈，实地观察和收集二手信息，以尽可能详细地描述事件。另一方面，遵循严格的编码原则和过程以确保研究的有效性和可靠性。调查结果企业家关键事件学习反映了企业家行为脚本的合法性，胜任力和主导地位，对提高企业家行为脚本的质量产生了积极影响。创业关键事件学习是决策的有效过程，也是情境学习和认知发展的过程。因此，关键事件学习在提高利益相关者的影响力中起着重要作用。研究的局限性/意义本文仅使用单案例研究，因此缺乏对多案例研究的比较和验证。此外，在回顾过程中可能会出现选择偏见。独创性/价值本研究从企业家与环境之间的互动方面扩大了对新企业生成过程的研究。这项研究揭示了抑制企业家行为的深层结构和有效性机制。该研究克服了在制度合法性研究中过分强调制度限制和对企业家主观能动性的认识不足的问题。该研究解决了过分强调个人主动性，而对实现理论中的行为合法性关注不足的问题。