The legitimacy of entrepreneurial mentoring

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present findings from longitudinal case studies of small firm mentoring relationships in Ireland. The rationale is to explore the gaps between the theory and practice of small firm mentoring. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses a comparative case study design involving interviews, observation and secondary sources of evidence including business plans. Findings - In contrast to the literature the paper extends the role of mentors in the small firm context as offering direct and indirect support, which reduces uncertainty in order to increase legitimacy of the business entity. Research limitations/implications - The cases highlight a conflict between the broad theoretical scope of the mentor process vs a narrow role assumed by best practice. Practical implications - The research presents an opportunity to enhance the pragmatic vs paternalistic perspective of small firm mentoring. The authors argue that for mentoring theory to be useful then a mentor's role-set in small firms may be wider and should be more direct than mentors in large corporations. Originality/value - The emergent theoretical framework combines organisational learning and decision-making theories. The paper contributes to the theoretical development of mentoring by extending the range and defining the role of mentors in the context of small firms.