The characteristics of pro-activeness, innovativeness and risk-taking are collectively called entrepreneurial orientation and are traditionally attributed to successful entrepreneurs. However, empirical research shows that an entrepreneurial orientation of employees is an essential individual and organizational success factor in crisis management. Entrepreneurial orientation does not promote efficiency, but rather the effectiveness of each individual employee and thus of the organization in terms of flexibility and adaptability.
The goal of the project is to enable employees in Upper Austria’s medium-sized enterprises to steer the company successfully through the crisis and future disruptive developments (e.g. digital transformation) or even to found their own innovative companies by means of entrepreneurial orientation. The contents taught are developed on the basis of the current state of research on intra-/entrepreneurship and innovation management as well as entrepreneurship education. By training employees in entrepreneurial thinking, the project helps to sustainably secure jobs and ultimately prosperity and to make structural change socially acceptable. The training is successful if the employees focus their thoughts and actions more on questioning routines in their own work area, actively show innovative and creative solutions for challenges and stand up for their suggestions. Evaluations of the workshops in the context of accompanying research enable the continuous optimization of the training program and a review of the training’s impact.
The project is supported by funds from the Zukunftsfond “Arbeit Menschen Digital” of the AK Oberösterreich”.