Revisiting the Cognitive Developmental Trajectory of Entrepreneurship...

...The Role of Critical Developmental Experiences

...and the REAL question?

Norris Krueger (norris.krueger@gmail.com; @entrep_thinking)

Helle Neergaard (Aarhus; hen@asb.dk)

BCERC 2011

Key Questions?

If we want to understand how we learn to think like entrepreneurs, don't we need to know...

What IS this “entrepreneurial” mindset anyway?

Conceptually? Measurably? Concisely & robustly measurable?

Key Mechanisms

What truly induces transformative learning?

Key developmental experiences?

What do entrepreneurship classes actually do?

Two Ways to Learn

Behavioristic- fill the bucket

-define the buckets

Constructivistic- light the fire (or fan it!)

- assume knowledge structures evolve(often discontinuously)

Novice ExpertEntrepreneurial

Mindset

Critical Developmental Experiences

Change in what we know (content)

Change in how we know it (knowledge structures)

Change in Deep Beliefs

55

A little background

Is it about intentions? If not.. what else?

Perceived Social Norms

Personal Desirability

Perceived Self-Efficacy

Perceived Collective Efficacy

Perceived Desirability

Perceived Feasibility

INTENTIONS

Precipitating Event

PERCEPTION of OPPORTUNITY

Action

A little background, part 2

Informed Intent? Expert intent?? Experiential!

BILDUNGS-BRANDSTIFTER?

Novice Expert

EntrepreneurialMindset

Critical Developmental Experiences

Change in what we know (content)

Change in how we know it (knowledge structures)

Change in Deep Beliefs

A little background, part 3

Have we really nailed down what “entrepreneurial mindset” looks like?

Sounds like? (Smells like?) But maybe a few thoughts...

Thoughts? Which are the hardest to change? (More important for here... what can we measure?)

* Seeing opportunities* Seeing self as entrepreneur (role identity)• Strategic thinking• Dot-connecting / pattern recognition• Effectual thinking (bricolage, improv)• Optimist (attributional)• Metacognition• Counterfactual thinking• Bias for action (vs. FoF!)• Value creation as sine qua non (Market-pull?)

So what IS this “entrepreneurial mindset” anyway??

• Thoughts? Which are the hardest to change? – (More important for here... what can we measure?)

Seeing opportunities• Seeing self as entrepreneur (role identity)• Strategic thinking• Dot-connecting / pattern recognition• Effectual thinking (bricolage, improv)• Optimist (attributional)• Metacognition• Counterfactual thinking• Bias for action (vs. FoF!)• Value creation as sine qua non (Market-pull?)

A little background, part 4

Opportunities Seeing opportunities; Acting on opportunities

Intent and... its correlates (PF, PD, SN, self-efficacy)

Optimism (a la Seligman) Expert script? Role Identity / Mental Prototypes

“concise, robust”...

Opportunities presented for ALL of us

Experiential >> Non-experiential

So how would YOU assess impact?

Research Design

Pre / post 1-day full-immersion 'boot camp' experiences Assess impact: Intense events; Key measures Intent (intent, correlates) Optimism (“What's the One Thing... ?”) Script cues Role Id

Measures

Intent

Intent, correlates (PD, PF, SN) Optimism

content analyze “What's the One Thing... ?” Script cues

Short version of Mitchell's 'cue' instrument Role Identity / Mental Prototype

“Draw me a picture...”

Sample & Hurdles

Two boot camps (PI not presenting), N =20, 24 28 M, 16 F Mostly mid-20s, predominantly non-minority Intent, optimism, administered pre/post Script measure pre or post Picture pre or post plus change

Intent (Changes in)

PRE POST

Intent (0-100) 54 56

(women only) 56 63

Perceived Feasibility 58 63

Perceived Desirability 69 72 (ns)

(std dev) 11.0 17.7

Social Norms 44 53 (n.s.)

Optimism (Seligman-style)

PRE POST

B/F Barrier ? Facilitator Barrier ? Facilitator

21 11 12 19 10 15

E vs I? External ? Internal External ? Internal

22 9 13 19 8 17

Script Cues

5/12 7/12

PRE POST

Pictures

Still W-I-P Techies can't draw? ;) Self-described changes

“More me” “More specific AND more inclusive”

Conclusions/Discussions

Immersion events appear to change mindset Measures are promising but need work Need to check back for stickiness Other experiential exercises NON-experiential activities, even“anti-experiential”? ;) What have I missed?? Again... how would YOU measure mindset change?

Triangulation and MORE Opportunities

ISEEO – experimental approach

GUESSS –-> N > 86,000?

Neergaard - action research

+ GEW

TED-ED??

Contact info

Norris Krueger

(norris.krueger@gmail.com;

@entrep_thinking)

Helle Neergaard

(hen@asb.dk)

plus Facebook, LinkedIn

YESNOLOGIN  /  REGISTER

www.StartupWeekend.orghttp://globalstartupbattle.com/wildcard/

2525

This is your brain on unfairness (ultimatum game?)