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  3. American Economic Review
  4. May 2017
  5. Which Entrepreneurs Are Coachable and Why?

Which Entrepreneurs Are Coachable and Why?

  • Kevin A. Bryan
  • András Tilcsik
  • Brooklynn Zhu
American Economic Review
vol. 107, no. 5, May 2017
(pp. 312-16)
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Abstract

Is coachability a usable concept for startups? Using a dataset on high-growth startups in a prominent university incubator, we show that firm characteristics do predict which firms are likely to follow advice but that these "coachable" firms are not more likely to achieve positive outcomes. The reason is that advice may be rejected either because the firm is stubborn and uncoachable, or because the firm possesses capabilities related to the advice which is hard for outsiders to observe.

Citation

Bryan, Kevin A., András Tilcsik, and Brooklynn Zhu. 2017. "Which Entrepreneurs Are Coachable and Why?" American Economic Review, 107 (5): 312-16. DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20171010

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • D22 Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
  • L26 Entrepreneurship
  • M13 New Firms; Startups