Group Size
?
1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Individual Task
Learning Environment
?
1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Any
QAA Enterprise Theme(s)
?
1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
1Creativity and Innovation
2Opportunity recognition‚ creation and evaluation
3Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5Reflection and Action
6Interpersonal Skills
7Communication and Strategy
The ‘Entrepreneurial Personal Development Roadmap Plan’, is a task was designed as one assessment component offered on a range of enterprise/entrepreneurship focused units. However, the task can be used more widely in any setting to help students/stakeholder assess their career aspirations against their current competencies.
The Entrepreneurial Personal Development Plan (Roadmap) task is designed to facilitate self-reflection of an individuals’ entrepreneurial career aspirations, through the exploration of an individuals, vision of their future career (either entrepreneurial or Intrapreneurial), and the assessment of their core competencies identifying their Strengths and Weaknesses. Together with a robust action plan (in the form of a Gantt Chart) detailing the steps that must be implemented to achieve future career success.
Task- The Development of an Entrepreneurial Personal Development Plan (Road Map)
Whilst the Entrepreneurial Personal Development Road Map Plan task is part of a 10 weeklong accredited unit (Table,1), the Personal Development Road Map Plan could be used as an activity/exercise for any enterprise/entrepreneurship (or non-enterprise) course/programme or careers development exercise.
The Entrepreneurial Personal Development Road Map Plan task is aimed at students looking to develop a greater understanding of who and what are entrepreneurs, the competencies and skills they need to become successful either as entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs.
In order for students to undertake the creation and development of an Entrepreneurial Personal Development ‘Road Map’ Plan, participants will first need to be introduced the basic principles and concepts around entrepreneurship and what constitutes the types of entrepreneurial characteristics, attributes and skills that enterprising individuals (entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs) identify with and deploy to become successful in their wider endeavours, be that to create of a new start-up or innovating within an existing organisation. This knowledge and understanding acts as an initial benchmark for students to compare their own current entrepreneurial journey and competencies against.
The first half of the unit weeks 1- 6 students explore these both practically and theoretically through lectures set out in Table 1. Students will learn to analyse inspiration entrepreneurs though analysis of their life stories through the application of frameworks (e.g. such as Goldberg (1981) Big 5 Model Bolton and Thompson, (2003) FACETS model) to identify key attribute which have enabled their entrepreneurs to become successful.
In the second half of the unit weeks 7- 10 students (Table 1) will explore their own entrepreneurial aspirations through the concepts around self-development. Students will be introduced to a range of (freely available) self-development tools to include: - MBTI analysis, Belbin team analysis, Get2Test, Life wheel analysis and the Honey and Munford learning styles analysis and skills used by mentors and life coaches to identify an individual’s own strengths and weaknesses, though the application of the SWOT analysis.
The learner will then use this self-assessment together with the knowledge gained from the first half of the course to build a self-devolvement Roadmap for the next 12 months reflecting and creating a vision of what they would like to be and achieve entrepreneurially.
The Roadmap will be then delivered in the form of a Gantt chart with a detailed explanation of how the plan will be operationalised, identifying key resources such as the potential need for mentors, use of networks access to funding.
Below is the table 1, the delivery plan for the unit and the associated lecture structure for the delivery of the unit and the timings for the two assessment tasks. The Entrepreneurial Personal Development Road Map Plan forms part of continual reflective process of the whole unit, but the majority of the supporting learning and concepts are delivered in weeks 6 – 10.
Table 1, The Weekly Lecture Delivery Plan
|
Week |
LECTURE TITLE |
LECTURE CONTENT |
|
Week 1
|
Unit Induction & Entrepreneurs in context. |
Introduction to the unit setting the scene of what material will be covered and handing out assignment task 1 Lecture1:- defining who and what are enterprising individuals, entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs |
|
Week 2
|
The Importance of entrepreneurs to society |
To understand the economic impact that entrepreneurs deliver nationally and globally as well as the types of governmental and other mechanisms that can support entrepreneurial activities
|
|
Week 3
|
Characterising the entrepreneur |
Understanding entrepreneur’s behaviours and traits
|
|
Week 4
|
Analysing the Entrepreneur |
Using theoretical frameworks to analyse entrepreneurial traits and characteristics |
|
Week 5
|
Researching the Entrepreneur |
A reviewing research techniques used in entrepreneurial research |
|
Week 6
|
Is Entrepreneurship the only option? |
A look at Intrapreneurship and Human Capital theory |
|
Week 7
|
Developing entrepreneurial aspirations, achieving goals? |
Introduction to the concepts of Personal Development Planning, how to achieve your goals and entrepreneurial aspirations. Identifying the skills needed to develop a sustainable Roadmap for future success. |
|
Week 8
|
Personal development Self-efficacy |
Aspects of Personal Entrepreneurial Development, application and use of self-analysis tools to better understand the individual Assignment 1 Submission Date, |
|
Easter Break |
Easter Break |
Easter Break |
|
Week 9
|
Personal development Mentoring & Networking |
What is Networking and Mentoring and how they can it be used in self-development |
|
Week 10
|
Combating Failure, Embracing Success the development of an Entrepreneurial Mind-Set |
A review of aspect of success and failure and the types of strategies to implement such as resilience, when confronted by Failure . |
|
Week 11
|
Assignment 2 |
Assignment 2 Submission Date |
The Entrepreneurial Personal Development Plan (Road Map) Assignment task
“He, who fails to plan, plans to fail”
In this assignment you will develop a detailed personal development plan through: - research, reading, communication, networking, self-analysis and reflection.
You will produce a Personal Development Plan (Road Map) for the period of the next 12 months. Within your personal development plan, you will evaluate your vision of your future entrepreneurial career path and the various options that may present themselves through your self-analysis. You will also identify any associated risks within each option that you have identified. Finally, you will critically analyse the skills and knowledge you will need to gain, to reach your intended entrepreneurial career goals over this time period.
In order to create your Development Plan (Road Map) you must follow the following structure: -
Note- all evidence of activities should be placed within your appendices and there is an expectation that students will make reference where appropriate to any relevant literature.
Skill Development: (short – focus on reflection; review; feedback; learning)
A deep appreciation of the learner’s individual attributes and skills in the form of (Strengths and Weaknesses) are development across the whole of course but are specifically achieved through the use of the Personal Development Plan task. It is important to consider the type and range of self-analysis tools to be used and how you wish your learners to reflect upon what they have uncovered about themselves and how they can make connections between their personal vision, proposed entrepreneurial journey, to the wider learning context.
There are also opportunities for the learner to deepen their learning and self-evaluation through continual reflective learning, diary writing or drawing upon the reflective models Gibb (1988) in the support their entrepreneurial journey and beyond the learning environment and to support lifelong learning and development.
The course and its assessments have achieved fantastic response from student taking it, with unit feedback scores averages around 4.78/5 over the past 14 years.
Whilst learners enjoy both assessment tasks, it is the Entrepreneurial Personal Development Plan (Roadmap) task that has really been the focus of most learners’ comments in their feedback. Learners reflect in this qualitative feedback that they feel much more prepared for life after university, the have a much better understanding of themselves as individuals. Learners gaining a clear picture of what their personal strengths and weaknesses are for example:
Hamid, a PGT student
Just a note to say thank you for a truly inspiring course.
One suggestion that I can think of is to perhaps make it a university wide course offer outside of the IME programme. The course sparks self-realization process, which I believe the first crucial step for a successful entrepreneurship and innovation studies course.
Also the course can be extended to provide training to improve students' interpersonal skills that are related to entrepreneurial treats. Being a confident convincing presenter or a good negotiator is important for successful enterprising individuals, all reflected through the creations of the entrepreneurial personal Roadmap assessment.
Rachel a PGT student
The Developing Enterprising Individuals module has been nothing short of a life changing experience for me.
Access to free online self-analysis tools
Entrepreneurial competence tests (http://www.get2test.net/)
MBTI test (alternative), Belbin (alternative) Honey and Munford learning styles test and more can be accessed free through https://thepeakperformancecenter.com/
References:
