Theoretical Model of Fundamental Entrepreneurial Competencies

Abstract

Scientific interest in teaching entrepreneurial competencies has increased in the last few years. Thereby studies have examined above all personal tools, including skills and knowledge. However, besides focusing on educational programs for context-specific entrepreneurial competencies, it is essential to understand general competencies that enable an entrepreneur to master demands of varying challenges and contexts. Despite a growing body of literature in the field of entrepreneurial competencies, there still seems to be uncertainty regarding general entrepreneurial competencies. As a consequence of its research focus, the objective of this study is to understand general entrepreneurial competencies. To study these general competencies, new paradigms of human action should be brought into discussion. It is concluded that there is a relationship between the self and general entrepreneurial key behavior which has still not been covered by the literature. The overall goal of this study is thus to propose a model of general entrepreneurial competencies. An entrepreneurial competency model is proposed that gives insight about the key behavior of recognizing/producing and exploiting entrepreneurial opportunity which a successful entrepreneur should be able to demonstrate, and a person's underlying characteristics. The underlying characteristics consist of the self and personal tools. The self comprises the self-as-subject, the ego as a meaning-making process, and the self-as-object, with dispositional traits, characteristic adaptations and identity. Personal tools include skills and knowledge. The structural model has been enriched with a developmental dimension as the entrepreneurial ego gradually becomes more complex and associated entrepreneurial behaviors and skills are increasingly practiced. Clarifying these theoretical links between the self and entrepreneurial core challenges may contribute to more effective design of fundamental entrepreneurship education programs and to addressing a wider range of educational issues, e.g., developing scientifically-supported educational models to increase the number of successful entrepreneurs.