Training and development of entrepreneurs: A comparison of motivation and skill approaches

THE STUDY SOUGHT TO ANALYZE THE EFFECTS OF A PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDED BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MANAGEMENT SKILL TRAINING. THE TRAINEES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS EXPERIMENT WERE BLACK BUSINESSMEN IN A LARGE MIDWESTERN CITY. THE FOUR GROUPS OF BUSINESSMEN-PARTICIPANTS WERE PROVIDED WITH DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF MOTIVATION AND MANAGEMENT TRAINING. AFTER 18 MONTHS INTERVIEWS WERE HELD WITH ALL OF THE TRAINEES AND CONTROL GROUP MEMBERS. RESULTS SHOW THAT NEITHER MOTIVATION TRAINING NOR INCREASING THE SKILL LEVEL WAS SUFFICIENT IN ITSELF TO SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE THEIR ON- JOB BEHAVIOR. THOSE BUSINESSMEN WHO RECEIVED BOTH TYPES OF TRAINING WERE MORE ACTIVE THAN ALL OTHERS. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION IS NOT ENOUGH, THAT AN ENTREPRENEUR MUST ALSO HAVE THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO TRANSFORM HIS DESIRES AND HOPES INTO OVERT ACTIONS. THE ANSWER FROM THE STUDY OF IF ENTREPRENEURIAL BEHAVIOR CAN BE LEARNED IS, YES. CHARTS.