Toward a Model of Entrepreneurial Uncertainty Reduction Mechanisms: Insights from Moroccan Incubators

Résumé

Abstract

This article examines the mechanisms through which Moroccan incubators contribute to reducing the entrepreneurial uncertainty faced by the ventures they support. The study adopts a qualitative approach based on ten semi-structured interviews conducted with managers of Moroccan incubators. The empirical sample comprises ten incubators with diverse organizational profiles, operating across different sectors and supporting ventures at various stages of development. The data were analyzed using MAXQDA software through a cross-case analysis. The findings reveal five main mechanisms through which incubators address entrepreneurial uncertainty: project structuring and monitoring, experimentation and market validation, learning through adjustment, access to resources and expertise, and intermediation and networking. These mechanisms do not follow a uniform sequence; rather, their mobilization evolves in response to needs that emerge as the venture develops. The study therefore proposes a configurational and adaptive model in which incubators contribute not by eliminating uncertainty, but by providing entrepreneurs with reference points, information, and courses of action that enable them to revise their decisions and move their ventures forward despite residual uncertainty. The Moroccan context emerges as a condition shaping how these mechanisms operate, particularly in light of the administrative, financial, and market-related constraints that ventures may encounter. The article thus contributes to an empirically grounded understanding of incubation that emphasizes the adaptation of support practices to the evolving needs of entrepreneurial ventures.

Keywords: entrepreneurial uncertainty; incubators; entrepreneurial support; incubation mechanisms; innovative entrepreneurship; Morocco.