Last modified: 2019-07-22
Abstract
A high-profile and innovative – yet rigorously tested – method of helping entrepreneurs from resource constrained and disadvantaged backgrounds to grow their businesses is personal initiative (PI) training; a training that focuses on developing an entrepreneurial mindset composed of innovative, proactive, and persistent behavior patterns. This training breaks sharply from many past approaches to entrepreneurial training and has proved to be unusually efficacious in a randomized controlled trial in Togo published in the journal Science (Campos, Frese, Goldstein, Iacovone, Johnson, McKenzie, & Mensmann, 2017). The goal of this symposium will be to introduce key considerations in the research and implementation of PI training in Africa and to promote awareness of, inquiry into, and dialogue among the panelists and attendees regarding PI training. Key activities will include short presentations by panelists, a question and answer session among the main group, breakout discussion groups, and a brief recap of those discussions presented by each breakout group to the main group. Ideally, the symposium will last 90 minutes but this is flexible. The panelists are five individuals who have helped to develop or been formally trained in PI training and are actively conducting research into the efficacy of the training among resource-constrained populations – prominently including lower-income populations on the continent of Africa. Topics under discussion include a mixture of basic and advanced concepts allowing both those unfamiliar and familiar with PI training to benefit.
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