Heidi M. Neck

Entrepreneurship Education: Known Worlds and New Frontiers

This publication contains reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright. Full text is not available on IEEE Xplore for these articles.

Entrepreneurship education: known worlds and new frontiers

This publication contains reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright. Full text is not available on IEEE Xplore for these articles.

An Entrepreneurial System View of New Venture Creation

This paper reports the results of a two‐phase study that explores new venture creation within the context of an entrepreneurial system. First, a genealogy of high‐technology companies is presented depicting a high spin‐off rate resulting from the presence of seven incubator organizations. Second, semantic structure analysis (Spradley 1980) based on semi‐structured interviews with founders is used to develop a taxonomy. This taxonomy depicts the relationship among components in one entrepreneurial system, Boulder County, Colorado, that encourages, supports, and enhances regional entrepreneurial activity. Findings indicate that incubator organizations, spin‐offs, informal and formal networks, the physical infrastructure, and the culture of the region are related uniquely and interact to form a system conducive for dense high‐technology entrepreneurial activity. Additionally, greater rates of new venture formation were found following critical moments in the life of incubator organizations.

“I think I can; I think I can”: A self-leadership perspective toward enhancing entrepreneur thought patterns, self-efficacy, and performance

The concept of “Thought Self‐Leadership” involves individual self‐influence through cognitive strategies that focus on self‐dialogue, mental imagery, beliefs and assumptions, and thought patterns. A plethora of studies from various fields including management, counseling psychology, sports psychology, education, and communication, address the effect of these Thought Self‐Leadership cognitive strategies on cognitions and behaviors. This research provides consistent support for the relationship between constructive self‐leadership of these cognitive processes and enhanced performance. The application of these cognitive strategies to the entrepreneurship domain, however, is sparse. We propose that the application of these principles to the entrepreneurial process offers the potential to enhance individual performance and mental states for both practicing and aspiring entrepreneurs. Propositions derived from the proposed framework are developed to serve as catalysts for empirically testing the applicability of Thought Self‐Leadership to the entrepreneurship context.

How Corporate Entrepreneurs Learn from Fledgling Innovation Initiatives: Cognition and the Development of a Termination Script

Through a parallel examination of literatures on new product development termination and entrepreneurial cognition, this study explores a specific form of human capital development: learning from failure. Specifically we advance the literature on entrepreneurial human capital by linking cognitive scripts used by corporate entrepreneurs in project termination decisions to corresponding levels of learning. Our longitudinal investigation of technology–based firms suggests that corporate entrepreneurs use three types of termination scripts: (1) undisciplined termination, (2) strategic termination, and (3) innovation drift. We illustrate the presence of each script and analyze learning implications during innovation projects (action learning) and after termination (post–performance learning). Based on our analysis we suggest that organizational learning is dependent upon the type of termination script individuals employ.

The entrepreneurial growth ceiling: Using people and innovation to mitigate risk and break through the growth ceiling in initial public offerings

Purpose – In this paper the authors aim to introduce a concept that they call the “entrepreneurial growth ceiling” (EGC). They develop arguments that new venture IPOs hit the EGC prior to their IPO, and the ceiling is part of the impetus for going public. The paper argues that proceeds from the IPO will aid firms in breaking through the ceiling if the proceeds are strategically allocated.Design/methodology/approach – The study examines a cohort of firms that went public in the same year. The authors code data from the prospectuses of 366 organizations, including how proceeds were to be spent, and then add performance data post‐IPO.Findings – The results from a longitudinal study of IPOs indicate that firms that allocate proceeds to human resources and innovation (research and development) are more likely to break through the EGC quickly and enhance long‐term stock performance.Practical implications – Entrepreneurial firms will have higher success when investing money into their human resources (people) an...

INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE EVOLUTION OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCE: A KNOWLEDGE-BASED PERSPECTIVE

Research on corporate entrepreneurship (CE) has grown rapidly over the past decade (for reviews, see Dess et al., 2003). This interest in CE stems from rising international competition, requiring companies to learn new skills and develop new competencies (Eisemhardt & Santos, 2003). These competencies enable companies to compete in new market arenas both at home and internationally, creating value for shareholders (McGrath, MacMillan & Venkataraman, 1995). With more and more companies focusing on international expansion, recent research on CE has focused on examining international issues. Though most past research is comparative in nature, some has investigated companies’ international expansion as a forum within which CE activities unfold (Zahra & Garvis, 2000).

The Challenges of Infusing Entrepreneurship within Non-Business Disciplines and Measuring Outcomes

Abstract Entrepreneurship Education has seen rapid growth in the 21st century. As an academic discipline, entrepreneurship has spread its wings, escaped business schools and nested within non-business disciplines in academia. The focus of this Entrepreneurship Research Journal Special Issue, “Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education” is to trace the development of this occurrence. In this overarching article describing the special issue, we briefly introduce some of the early stimulants of entrepreneurship education. This includes providing historical perspectives on how entrepreneurship became a global phenomenon. The rapid growth is continuing as entrepreneurship education becomes infused in disciplines such as arts, sciences, engineering, humanities, technology and social sciences. We examine how entrepreneurship curricula and campus ecosystems for entrepreneurship education have evolved. We draw from articles selected for this special issue of Entrepreneurship Research Journal to consider why and how this phenomenon is happening. This includes identifying both facilitators and obstacles associated with the proliferation of entrepreneurship education. Cross Campus Entrepreneurship Education prototypes utilized by The Coleman Foundation Faculty Fellows Program, The Kern Engineering Entrepreneurship Network and The Kauffman Campus Initiative are explained. The Fellows Program is presented as a potential testing ground for establishing norms for infusing entrepreneurship across non-business disciplines and assessing effectiveness of such initiatives. The authors of the articles published in this special issue demonstrate that approaches to educating students in multiple majors with entrepreneurship concepts have been themselves entrepreneurial. Universities with cross-campus programs have been creative, innovative and even disruptive. We give particular attention to challenges associated with assessing the effectiveness of the initiatives. It is evident that effective outcomes assessment will be critical in the future to ensure that campus-wide educational efforts do not become diluted and dysfunctional. There are numerous difficulties associated with such assessments, not the least of which may be the time lag that can be expected between instruction and fruition. Nevertheless, experiments in assessments that are already underway are explained. Multiple stakeholders, including government and academic institutions as well as students and faculty, are active in promoting and evaluating entrepreneurship programs. Research implications are explored and future research challenges within cross campus entrepreneurship education are uncovered.

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship education (EE) research is not advancing as fast as general entrepreneurship because it is not subject to the same level of scholarship. Grounded in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning from the field of adult education and using an expert Delphi Panel approach, we offer a glimpse into the minds of top entrepreneurship educators. We suggest studying EE through a teaching lens offers insights and elevates teaching as a form of scholarship on par with traditional, more accepted forms of research. Our Delphi analysis suggests a definition of EE as developing the mindset, skill set, and practice necessary for starting new ventures, yet acknowledging the outcomes of such education are far reaching. We introduce five continuums of EE that encourage a transition to teaching approaches based on adult learning, namely andragogy and heutagogy. Implications for entrepreneurship educator training, the need for practice, and the future of EE research are discussed.

THE DISTINCTIVE SKILLS OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

Addressing the need to identify distinctive skills for social entrepreneurs, we conducted an exploratory, qualitative study based on interviews with social entrepreneurs. We identified seven skills, three out of which have not been previously mentioned by entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship scholars. These skills include an ability to induce behavioral change and educate target groups; co-creation with multiple stakeholders; and developing solutions that aim to address the root cause of a social problem. Based on these findings, we provide recommendations for further research, as well as how the identified skills can be taught in experiential learning format.