Social entrepreneurship and complex thinking: an exploratory, educational innovation proposal for acquiring and scaling competencies
Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning
ISSN: 2042-3896
Article publication date: 18 December 2023
Issue publication date: 4 June 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to present the results of an exploratory pilot study that demonstrates the validity of a self-created implementation methodology to develop the students' level of perceived achievement of the social entrepreneurship competency and explain how this is equally valid in developing the perceived achievement of the complex thinking competency.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a multivariate descriptive statistical analysis, this article offers the results of an educational intervention carried out on a sample group of students from a Mexican university before and after a training program in social entrepreneurship.
Findings
The favorable results showed that the proposed methodology is valid for scaling social entrepreneurship and complex thinking competencies and their subcompetencies.
Originality/value
These results are not only academically valuable, as they highlight the need to delve into the relationship between these two competencies, but they also allow us to appreciate the ample opportunities for practical implementation of entrepreneurship programs by universities and other institutions to work directly with social entrepreneurs and seek alternatives to develop skills through devising, proposing and developing social entrepreneurship projects.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper is a product of the project “EduToolKit: innovation with artificial intelligence for the development of social entrepreneurship, innovation and complex thinking skills” supported by NOVUS 2022 funding from Tecnologico de Monterrey with fund ID 268. The authors acknowledge the financial and technical support of Writing Lab, Institute for the Future of Education, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico, in producing this work. The authors would also like to thank the School of Engineering and Sciences of the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico and Javier Benavides Ornelas for allowing the application of the Entrepreneur Profile instrument in the BootCamp of the ULead program (summer 2022).
Citation
Vázquez-Parra, J.C., Cruz-Sandoval, M., Sotelo, C., Sotelo, D., Carlos-Arroyo, M. and Welti-Chanes, J. (2024), "Social entrepreneurship and complex thinking: an exploratory, educational innovation proposal for acquiring and scaling competencies", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 694-710. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-06-2023-0165
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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