A systematic literature review of skills required in the different phases of the entrepreneurial process

Abstract

Skills are important in the creation and management of a business venture. However, the extant research focuses on skills required by entrepreneurs without distinguishing which skills are needed at each entrepreneurial phase. To understand the research conducted to date, this paper examined a total of 72 articles in some of the leading entrepreneurship and management journals. The reviewed literature demonstrates that entrepreneurial studies on skills tend to adopt a singular phase rather than a multi-phase approach. Examining skills at the different entrepreneurial phases shows that the importance and complexity of skills change across the phases. Further, the context in which an entrepreneur is situated has an influence on the development and application of skills. Finally, the study puts forth a conceptual model and propositions that demonstrate an interplay between skills, entrepreneurial phases, and context. The paper identifies implications for theory, practice and future research.