What Should We Really Be Teaching :
Competencies as a Focal Point for
Entrepreneurship Education
Michael H. Morris, Ph.D.
George & Lisa Etheridge Professor of Entrepreneurship
University of Florida
California Entrepreneurship Educators Conference
San Diego, California
March 6, 2014
Competency : background
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Competence is a fuzzy concept useful in bridging the
gap between education and job requirements (Boon and
van der Klink (2002)
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To have competencies is to possess the necessary
attributes to perform competently (Burgoyne, 1988)
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A characteristic of an individual that has been shown to
drive superior job performance (Hartle, 1995)
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Observable behaviors that superior performers exhibit
more consistently than average performers (Klein, 1996)
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Competency : background

Competencies include knowledge, skills, attitudes, values,
behaviors and characteristics that people need to do a job
successfully (Bryant & Poustie, 2001)

They correlate with job performance and can be measured
against standards (Bryant & Poustie, 2001)

One can contrast areas of competence (aspects of the job
which an individual can perform) with competency (a person’s
behavior underpinning competent performance)
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Competencies are connected to activities & tasks, and tend to
be interrelated (Bergevoet, Mulder & Van Woerkum, 2005)
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Why competencies matter…

‘competency’ is a term that allows for flexibility
in adapting to diverse and changing
organizational demands (Garman and Johnson,
2006)

a competency is something that can be learned
and developed (Klarus, et al., 1999)
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Competency to ultimately do what?
Entrepreneurship is…

The capacity to perceive and act upon opportunities in the
environment
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The pursuit of opportunity regardless of resources
controlled

The creation of something from nothing
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Under what conditions…the experience
Limited Sense of Control
Ambiguity
Dejection
Stress
Loneliness
Freedom
Exhilaration
Uncertainty
Responsibility
Adaptation
Self-reliance
Discipline
Learning
Change
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Delineating competencies
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Two expert panels
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Three waves (first listed competencies, then
rated them, then indicated whether they were
entrepreneurial or managerial)
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Survey Monkey
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Produced total of 167 competencies
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Split into two major groups: managerial and
entrepreneurial
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Eventually arrived at 13 core entrepreneurial
competencies
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The key competencies

Recognizing Opportunity

Assessing Opportunity
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Vision/Seeing the Future
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Creative Problem-solving
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Resource Leveraging/Bootstrapping
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Mitigating and Managing Risk

Planning/Modeling When Nothing Exists
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Innovation---Value-driven New Product and Concept Development

Building and Managing Networks

The Ability to Maintain Focus Yet Adapt

Action Orientation/Implementation

Tenacity/Perseverance
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Ability to Learn from Experiences
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Distinguishing types of competencies
managerial
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Organizing
Team building &
Staffing
Communicating
Budgeting
Controlling
Motivating
Planning
Directing
Operating
Assessing
entrepreneurial
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Recognizing Opportunity
Assessing Opportunity
Creative Problem-solving
Resource Leveraging
Guerrilla Skills
Mitigating and Managing Risk
Planning When Nothing Exists
Innovation---Products, Services,
Processes
Building & Managing Social
Networks
Adaptation while Focusing
Implementation of Something
Novel or New
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So we are doing both

Developing managerial competencies in the
business school
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Developing entrepreneurial competencies in the
entrepreneurship program

Both are needed for success in an entrepreneurial
context, although the relative importance of a
given competency will vary
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Measurement approaches
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Pre- and post- measures using rating scales
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Judging experiential project portfolio
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Behavioral event interviews
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In class assessments tied to exercises
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Student diaries or registers
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Peer assessments
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Self-assessments at end of program
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Behavioral assessments after graduation
(see also Bird, 1995)
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Sample measurement approach using scales
148 items in self-report, scaled format; mostly 5-point, Likert-type scales (stronly
agree-strongly disagree)
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Opportunity recognition: 10 items from Tang, Kacmar and Busenitz (2010)
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Opportunity assessment: 5 items from Tang, Kacmar and Busenitz (2010)
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Risk management/mitigation: 9 items, self-developed based on Cramera,et
al. (2002 and McMullen and Shepherd, 2006)
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Conveying a compelling vision: 8 items based on Chen, Yao and Kotha (2009)
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Tenacity/perseverance: 21 items from Duckworth and Quinn (2009)
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Creative problem-solving: 12 items from Hmieleski and Corbett (2006)
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Resource leveraging/bootstrapping: 15 items Politis Winborg and Dahlstrom
(2011 and Brush et al., 2001)
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Guerrilla skills: 2 items, self-developed
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Maintain focus, yet adapt: 6 items from Haynie and Shepherd (2009)
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Resilience: 9 items from Sinclair and Wallson (2004)
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Self-efficacy: 11 items from Hodgkinson (1992)
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Build and exploit networks: 18 items from Forret and Dougherty (2001)
Scale Refinement
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Opportunity Recognition, 6 items, alpha= 0.809
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Opportunity Assessment, 5 items, alpha: 0.875
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Risk Management/Mitigation, 5 items, alpha: 0.745
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Conveying a compelling vision/seeing the future: 6 items, alpha: 0.827
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Tenacity/perseverance: 14 items, alpha: 0.861
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Creative Problem Solving/Imaginativeness, 7 items, alpha: 0.968
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Resource Leveraging/Bootstrapping, 8 items, alpha: 0.931
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Guerrilla skills, 2 items, alpha: 0.752
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Value Creation w/ New Products, Services, Business Models: 15 items, alpha: 0.949
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Ability to Maintain Focus yet Adapt , 6 items, Alpha: 0.878
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Resilience: 9 items, alpha: 0.887
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Self-Efficacy : 4 items, alpha: 0.895
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Networking/Social Skills: 17 items, alpha: 0.87
Pilot: the EESA Program
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23 American students and 15 South African
students
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Rigorous 6 – week intervention
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Consulting to historically disadvantaged
entrepreneurs
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Pre- and post measures
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Improvement on all 13 competencies
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Significant differences on:
Opportunity Recognition
Risk Management/Mitigation
Creative Problem Solving/Imaginativeness
Resource Leveraging/Bootstrapping
Guerrilla
Value Creation with New Products, Services, Business Models
Resilience
Networking/Social Skills
Setting the standard for a rubric
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Criterion-referenced evaluation: student
performance is assessed relative to standards set
by the discipline or entrepreneurship faculty
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Norm-referenced evaluation: students are
evaluated on the basis of comparisons to other
students
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Establishing norms
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We have no norms
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Benchmarks must be established
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Suggest we initially evaluate students relative to one
another
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Over time we might create benchmarks using successful
entrepreneurs
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But----are certain competencies more critical for success in
certain types of contexts?
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Is our focus less on achieving some absolute level on a
competency ---- or more on showing improvement relative
to where a student started?
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Competency is a process of continual development through
one’s life---not riding a bike---fades without practice
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Sample template for scales
(Mertler 2001)
Beginning
1
Developing
2
Accomplished
3
Exemplary
4
Score
Comp
#1
description description
description
description
Comp
#2
description description
description
description
Comp
#3
description description
description
description
Comp
#4
description description
description
description
Total Score = _______
Score at Program Outset _______
Average Student Score ________
Mastering a competency: how
do we teach it???
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Knowledge and Understanding: what do you need to
know about resource leveraging
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Attitude/Affect and Self-Awareness: what do you need to
think, believe and feel about resource leveraging?
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Skills and Behaviors: what do you need to be able to do in
terms of resource leveraging?
These are all learning outcomes
We can do more not just in terms of conveying knowledge, but
in all three areas, especially to the extent that we stress
experiential learning
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Each competency requires a
definition and level of proficiency
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Definition:
What do we mean by the competency?
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Level of Proficiency:
What must the student be able to demonstrate in terms
of knowledge, skills, capabilities and attitudes he
competency to indicate mastery of the competency?
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An illustration
Example:
Risk management
Definition:
The ability to identify relevant risks
surrounding an entrepreneurial action and
systematically mitigate those risks.
Level of Proficiency:
1. Understands key types of risks
2. Can identify principle risks surrounding a
given entrepreneurial action
3. Can prioritize risks based on magnitude and
probability of loss
4. Is able to develop specific actions to
-stage the risk
-share the risk
-reduce the risk
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Breaking it down for teaching purposes
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Knowledge
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Attitudes/values
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Nature of risk versus uncertainty
Dimensions of risk
Categories of risk
General techniques for mitigating risk
Willingness to assume moderate levels of risk
Belief that risk is manageable
Sense of association between risk level and potential return
Behaviors/Skills
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Ability to estimate risk
Ability to isolate risk
Ability to moderate level of risk
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A second illustration
Example:
Opportunity identification
Definition:
The ability to specify unrecognized or unfilled
gaps in the external environment creating an
opening for a new product, service or process.
Level of Proficiency:
1. Understands general sources of opportunity
2. Is capable of scanning the environment to identify
emerging patterns & trends, competitor
shortcomings, unutilized resources & unmet needs
3. Can connect an opening in the environment to a
specific target audience with a need
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Breaking it down for teaching purposes
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Knowledge
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Attitudes/values
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Key sources of opportunity
Major types of opportunity
The nature of opportunities
Four ways in which opportunities are identified
Understanding of specific opportunity generation techniques
Curiosity about why things work a certain way
Value one places on being alert to opportunity
Openness to being exposed to diverse and changing situations
Behaviors/Skills
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Ability to draw associations
Ability to grasp and hold onto ideas as they occur to us
Ability to assess customer needs
Response to a failure (e.g., elevator pitch loss)
# of opportunities generated
Novelty of ideas generated
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Teaching the competencies…
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Lectures
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define each competency
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illustrate each
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strategies for managing each
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examples
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relate to other competencies and learning points
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repetition
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Experiential learning in the classroom
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Experiential learning outside the classroom
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Experiencing…and experiencing
again (practice)
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Cases
Student incubators
Tech commercialization teams
Small business consulting projects
Entrepreneurial audits
Marketing inventions
Creativity field experiences (e.g., the Lowe’s experience)
Simulations
Entrepreneurs in the classroom
Interviews of E’s
Unique internships
Mentorships and job shadowing
Role plays (VC’s, family firms, etc.)
Business models
Business plans and competitions
Social entrepreneurship projects in the community
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Comprehensive Exam: D. Duck
An Overview of My Experience Portfolio and
Mastery of Competencies, MSE Program, 2013-14
My experience portfolio
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Business Plan for MyPlanet.com
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Business Model for Genius, LLC
•
Two consulting projects in
Entrepreneurship Empowerment
in South Africa: Kaltshaglass and
Silulo Technology
Four Marketing Inventions for Best
Buy, Domino’s, the Hair Place, and • Internship at Starter Space
Bob’s Quicklube
• Competed in Big Idea
• Entrepreneurial Audit for Infinite
Competition, made Sweet Sixteen
Energy
(Duckfeet, LLC)
•
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Attended twelve entrepreneurial • Conducted formal interview of
speaker presentations and hosted
William (Billy) Bad, Founder of You
one entrepreneur
Ain’t Seen Nothing, Inc.
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Consulting project for GoPlaces,
LLC (Gatornest)
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Started Duckfeet, LLC in Incubator
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•
Completed feasibility study for
franchise model for Club Risque
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Competency mastery:
Opportunity Recognition
a)
Define opportunity recognition
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b) Provide examples of opportunities recognized during the
program:
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Opportunity 1: explain and how I discovered it
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Opportunity 2: explain and how I discovered it
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Opportunity 3: explain and how I discovered it
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c) Provide summary of approaches you employ on ongoing basis in
looking for new opportunities (e.g., pattern recognition, challenging
assumptions, looking for underserved markets, etc.)
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Competency mastery:
Guerrilla Skills
a)
Define the guerrilla concept
b)
Examples of guerilla techniques developed during the program:

Guerrilla action 1: explain and how I came up with it
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Guerrilla action 2: explain and how I came up with it
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Guerrilla action 3: explain and how I came up with it
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c) Provide summary of approaches you employ on ongoing basis in
attempting to come up with new guerrilla approaches---use a scenario
(e.g., reciprocity, tapping underutilized resources in my environment,
using an existing resource in new and novel ways, taking advantage of
my surroundings, exploiting my extended network)
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Competency mastery:
Risk Management
a)
Define what is meant by calculated risk taking
b)
Examples of risk management techniques developed during the program:

Risk mitigation action 1: explain and how I came up with it
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Risk mitigation action : explain and how I came up with it
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Risk mitigation action : explain and how I came up with it
c)
Provide summary of approaches you employ on ongoing basis in
attempting to come up with new ways to manage and mitigate risks (e.g.,
staging market entry, outsourcing, partnerships, leasing instead of buying,
contracting for labor, etc.)
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