The Influence of Informal Learning in Promoting Entrepreneurial Capacity of Boutique Owners

Learning is a process that embodies all forms of activities which enables transgenerational transmitting of cultural values and prepares individuals for social living. Entrepreneurial capacity enables a firm to capitalize on a wide scope of fresh and alternative viewpoints that may challenge embedded assumptions and path-dependent cognitive schemes used by a firm. The specific objectives are to ascertain the impacts of informal learning in promoting entrepreneurial capacity; to determine the extent to which experimental learning is promoting entrepreneurial capacity and investigate the factors militating against the promotion of entrepreneurial capacity through informal learning. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive survey while Chi-square Statistics was used to test the stated hypothesis. The study adopts a simple random sampling technique to select 100 entrepreneurs who are into the sales of clothing materials or fabrics (ready-made clothesboutique) from the population (150). The study reveals that entrepreneurial capacity results in the creation of sources of capital or finance as part of the influence of informal learning. Goal orientation of boutique owners increases their entrepreneurial capacity. Motivation predicts the success of experimental learning in promoting entrepreneurial capacity. Also, it shows that individual(s) are likely to be at disadvantage in accessing informal learning opportunities, since everybody can’t benefit equally by identifying opportunities. It recommended that business owners should expand their scope of informal learning to accommodate formal learning to make them entrepreneurship professionals and facilitators.

Keywords: Accidental learning, Entrepreneur’s capacity, Experiential learning, SMEs, Unintentional learning, Unstructured learning