If entrepreneurship can be learned, can it be taught? If you are reading this book as part of an entrepreneurship course, then either you or your tutor probably assumes that it can. However the extensive research into entrepreneurship education suggests that while education can provide cultural and personal support, knowledge and skill devel¬opment about and for entrepreneurship, the 'art' of entrepreneurial practice is learned from experience rather than the educational environment alone. So learning must take place through action in the 'real world', rather than being a purely educational and theoretical process. Gaining practical experiences and 'learning by doing' is a key part of the entrepreneurial learning process.
Increasingly entrepreneurship is viewed as 'plural not singular' - that is to say, entrepre-neurial effectiveness depends on several people working effectively together rather than just on the 'lone entrepreneur'. So a business is often the product of an entrepreneurial team, in which people must learn to work effectively together. Therefore it is essential to develop skills of leadership and teamworking for a venture to grow, and for individuals to appreciate the distinctive contribution they can make.