Mentor Protege Matchmaking Framework for IT Entrepreneurs: A Qualitative Study

TL;DR

This study develops a qualitative framework for matching IT entrepreneurs with mentors in Malaysia, highlighting how mentoring needs and preferences evolve across different entrepreneurial phases.

Contribution

It introduces a phase-based matchmaking framework based on behavioral and social theories, tailored to the specific mentoring needs of IT entrepreneurs.

Findings

Entrepreneurs need different support at each phase of their entrepreneurial journey.

Surface characteristics influence mentor selection mainly during the conception phase.

Growth phase entrepreneurs prefer experienced mentors as role models.

Abstract

This study proposes a framework for matchmaking a mentor and mentee by exploring intentions of entrepreneurs towards mentoring. The framework based on Theory of Planned Behaviour, Institutional Theory and Social Exchange Theory were applied to explore factors that influenced intentions of IT-Entrepreneurs in Malaysia towards mentoring. It was applied at three different phases to understand how selection of mentor changes from one phase to another, and identify type of mentoring support that entrepreneurs need during each phase. Qualitative data were collected from entrepreneurs through semi-structured interviews and analysed using NVivo10. Findings showed that entrepreneurs need different mentoring support and skills when they go through each phase of their entrepreneurial career. The conception phase is the most important phase because entrepreneurs are still in the process of developing their product and want a mentor to help them to evaluate the viability of their product. Entrepreneurs at this phase are also more concerned about the surface level characteristics of mentor such as age, gender, race and language than the other phases. At the start-up phase, entrepreneurs want a mentor who can provide them networking support and help them in decision making. Besides that, the IT entrepreneurs think that mentoring services provided in the incubators are very generic and not helpful. On the contrary, entrepreneurs at the growth phase want a mentor whom they see as a role model and is more experienced and successful. Entrepreneurs at this phase do not care much about factors such as gender, race and religion of the mentor.