An integrated coaching and mentoring entrepreneurial development framework to promote entrepreneurial self-efficacy

While coaching and mentoring share similarities, no existing development framework integrates their distinct attributes to jointly enhance entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) during the early stages of entrepreneurship. This exploratory, qualitative study followed an inductive approach and employed Canonical Action Research (n=10) for data collection and analysis, leading to the development of the Integrated Coaching and Mentoring Entrepreneurial Development (ICMED) framework. The novelty of the ICMED framework lies in its unified approach, equipping entrepreneurs with a single source for ESE development through a coach or mentor who addresses both dimensions of ESE, general self-efficacy and entrepreneurial functional competencies.