{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:28:07Z","timestamp":1760059687777,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,1]],"date-time":"2025-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751328000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"University-level Research Project of Wenzhou University of Technology","award":["ky202404","BSLB-202424"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ky202404","BSLB-202424"]}]},{"name":"Doctoral Research Initiation Fund Project","award":["ky202404","BSLB-202424"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ky202404","BSLB-202424"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Systems"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study explores the influence of team communication (TC) and shared mental models (SMMs) on entrepreneurial team efficacy (ETE) within the context of Chinese higher education, introducing a dual-path model to reconcile the discrepancy between policy expectations and practical outcomes in entrepreneurship education. Utilizing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) on data from 475 university-based questionnaires from March to May in 2024 in China, the research reveals that structured internal communication significantly enhances the alignment of learning goals, teammate cognition, and activity synchronization, thereby fostering SMMs as a pivotal psychological infrastructure. The findings indicate that shared learning goals and cognitive convergence are primary drivers of task performance, whereas coordinated activity states are more influential in strengthening relational cohesion. The study challenges the conventional \u201ccommunication frequency\u2013efficacy paradox\u201d by demonstrating distinct pathways through which internal and external communication mechanisms differentiated impact task and relational outcomes. Additionally, demographic analyses highlight that team maturity and age diversity positively correlate with task efficacy, while gender and disciplinary heterogeneity show no significant association. Theoretically, this research advances the understanding of team collaboration dynamics and contextualizes Western entrepreneurship theories within China\u2019s collectivist framework. Practically, it provides robust, evidence-based strategies for refining communication protocols and enhancing both collaborative efficiency and innovation in entrepreneurial education settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/systems13070536","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,1]],"date-time":"2025-07-01T09:29:01Z","timestamp":1751362141000},"page":"536","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Dual-Path Model of Team Communication and Shared Mental Models in Entrepreneurial Education: Enhancing Team Efficacy in Higher Education Using PLS-SEM"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Shuangshuang","family":"Fan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics and Management, Wenzhou University of Technology, Wenzhou 325035, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7340-6840","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shali","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Economics and Management, Guizhou University of Engineering Science, Bijie 551700, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5552-4210","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"William","family":"Mbanyele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Economic Research, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yongliang","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Management, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100080, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"311","DOI":"10.1007\/s11205-020-02300-3","article-title":"Youth Unemployment, Gender and Institutions During Transition: Evidence from the Arab Spring","volume":"150","author":"Fakih","year":"2020","journal-title":"Soc. 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