ABSTRACT

This study examined entrepreneurial competencies as a viable pathway for improving the innovative performance of SMEs in Nigeria’s informal sector and the contingent roles of the business environment. A survey research design was used to gather data from 296 entrepreneurs who operate informal SMEs in Nigeria. Based on the findings from the SEM-PLS multivariate analysis, the study concluded that entrepreneurial competencies, especially organizing, conceptual, learning, strategic, opportunity, and risk-taking competencies, are essential for achieving higher innovation performance. The study also reveals that entrepreneurial competencies are useful toward mitigating environmental pressures resulting from operational turbulence and erratic policy changes, as the firm drives toward improving innovation outputs. As such, the entrepreneurship environment is becoming more endogenous as entrepreneurs, through their entrepreneurial competencies, have started to gain control over it. This study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by highlighting the most essential competencies alongside the relevant contingencies. By doing that, this study offers a practical guide on priority competence area that entrepreneurship stakeholders, including entrepreneurs and policymakers, should consider for investment.

摘要

本研究考察了创业能力作为提高尼日利亚非正规部门中小企业创新绩效和商业环境的偶然作用的可行途径。一项调查研究设计用于收集 296 名在尼日利亚经营非正规中小企业的企业家的数据。根据 SEM-PLS 多变量分析的结果，该研究得出结论，创业能力，尤其是组织、概念、学习、战略、机会和冒险能力，对于实现更高的创新绩效至关重要。该研究还表明，随着公司努力提高创新产出，创业能力有助于缓解运营动荡和不稳定的政策变化造成的环境压力。像这样，创业环境正变得更加内生，因为企业家通过其创业能力开始控制它。本研究通过强调最重要的能力以及相关的突发事件，为创业文献做出了贡献。通过这样做，本研究为创业利益相关者（包括企业家和政策制定者）​​应考虑投资的优先能力领域提供了实用指南。