Enterprise skills session 4

Introduction

• Intro What’s your T shirt

Review of self study from last session

• I asked you to pick 4 or 5 companies or organizations and look out their web site. What are the characteristics it demonstrates or are they trying to demonstrate? Alternatively for an organization you work for, or would like to work for, do the same. Write up your thoughts.

• We will review your findings.• What were the symptoms, what did they display,

which showed the most enterprise? Good and bad practice. Any particular good practice?

Review of self study from last session

• Do you think that many companies actually demonstrate enterprising characteristics?

• To the general public?• To their existing customers?• To potential customers?• To their own staff?

Could compare sites of , for example

• IBM• NASA• Banks e.g. Barclays, Halifax

Personality selling exercise

• People often ‘buy’ (or the opposite) into the enterprising person as much as the goods and services they provide

• Can you think of any of examples of this from their own life or business?

• Think about some famous entrepreneurs – Alan Sugar, Gordon Ramsey, Richard Branson’s Virgin group - arguably for these people personality is a key factor? Do we ‘know’ the people more than their businesses?

The exercise

• This exercise is about encouraging people to be able to sell or market themselves.

• Develops NGCE criteria of:– Strategic thinking– Negotiation capacity– Selling and persuasion – Imagination– Achievement orientation– Also self belief and personal charisma.

• I'll hand out a card to each person and then you have five minutes to prepare a 60 second speech.

Personality selling exercise - scenario

• There is a rocket ship leaving the planet Earth to escape from a collapsing world. There is a new planet out there waiting for new leader and a new group of people to help lead. Some people have already gone up to the new planet and there are enough people already there to ensure continuity of the human race.

• We are looking for a new leader and a new group of people to join and go there in a rocket. The problem is that there are limited places available on the rocket..... There are only 7 places.

Rocket Ship Round 1

• You have five minutes to each to each prepare a one minute speech (i.e. a maximum 60 second timed speech).

• The speech should aim to sell yourself as a person with a vision, leadership qualities and the character to build and contribute to the new world.

• We will then hear each person’s speech.

Rocket Ship Round 1

• Individually write down the names of the 7 people you would choose.

• Don’t show your list to anyone.

Rocket Ship Round 2

• You now have up to 6 minutes to prepare a 60 second speech aimed at destroying any arguments which may be put forward by other as to why you should not be chosen for the rocket.

• Note you do not know what these arguments are, you have to try and consider why others may not want you in the rocket ship.

• We will then hear each person’s speech.

Rocket Ship Round 2

• Individually write down the names of the 7 people you would now choose.

• It may be the same list as before, it may be different

• Don’t show your list to anyone.

Rocket Ship Round 3

• Every person now spends up to 5 minutes prepare and make a 30-45 second speech why they should:

• 1 Be chosen as the leader of the new world• 2 Why they should be chosen for the rocket

ship.• Essentially - What is your vision for the new

world?• We will then hear each person’s speech.

Rocket Ship Round 3

• Individually write down the names of the 7 people you would now choose.

• It may be the same list as before, it may be different.

• Now consider your 3 lists:– Which people have you selected for the rocket?– Which person have you selected as the leader?

Rocket Ship Round 4

• Now we will vote or select who should stay in the rocket.

• And who should be the leader of the new world.

Reflection

• The personality selling exercise was about personal projection and the ability to articulate comment under pressure.

• Which was more important – a person’s argument itself or the person? Or both?

• What can we learn from this?

Short break?

Role play job interview selling exercise

• Next we're going to build on the last exercise.• Think back to the exercise we did in a previous session

about enterprising characteristics - the illness and symptoms exercise and also the relationship learning exercise we did.

• We're going to do a role-play exercise about demonstrating enterprising skills and characteristics, use of imagination, empathy, and demonstrating enterprising values, attitudes and characteristics.

• Aim is to enhance the capacity of you to internalise and apply concepts of the entrepreneurial person.

Exercise

• Split into 3 groups: • 1 person/group is the interviewer, • 1 person is the interviewee (different person

for each round) and • 1 person/group are the observers. • I’ll hand out separate instructions to each

person/group.• We will role play 2 rounds

Reflection

• Discuss the differences between round 1 and round 2.

• Think about body language, tone, volume, words used, pace, etc.

• How much more enterprising was candidate 2?

And

• How could the second interviewee have demonstrated even more enterprising values, attitudes and characteristics?

• What could they have done differently?• What else could they have done?• What would we have seen?

• What’s your T shirt say now?

• And now some theory? • If we have time?

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture

Hofstede’s research of different countries. His work is relevant to enterprise.

Hofstede identifies five dimensions of culture in his study of national work related values. These cultural differences describe averages or tendencies and not characteristics of individuals

1 Low vs. high power distance - This dimension measures how much the less/least powerful members of institutions and organizations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. How people perceive power differences.

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture

2 Individualism vs. collectivism - This dimension measures how much members of the culture define themselves apart from their group memberships.

• In individualist cultures, people are expected to develop and display their individual personalities and to choose their own affiliations.

• In collectivist cultures, people are defined and usually/primarily act mainly as a member of a long-term group, such as the family, a town, an age cohort, a profession, etc

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture

3 Masculinity vs. femininity - This dimension measures the value placed on traditional male or female values (as identified/understood in most Western cultures).

• In ‘masculine' cultures, people value competitiveness, assertiveness, ambition, and the accumulation of wealth.

• In so-called 'feminine' cultures, people value relationships and the quality of life.

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture

4 Low vs. high uncertainty avoidance - This dimension measures how much members of a society attempt to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty.

• In cultures with high uncertainty avoidance, people prefer explicit rules (e.g. about religion and food) and formally structured activities; employees tend to remain longer with their present employer.

• In cultures with low uncertainty avoidance, people prefer implicit or flexible rules or guidelines and informal activities. Employees tend to change employers more frequently

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture

• 5 Long vs. short term orientation - This dimension describes a society's ‘time horizon’ or the importance attached to the future, versus the past and present.

• In long term oriented societies, people value actions and attitudes that affect the future: such as persistence/perseverance, thrift, and shame.

• In short term oriented societies, people value actions and attitudes that are affected by the past or the present: immediate stability, protecting one's own face, respect for tradition, and reciprocity of greetings, favours, and gifts.

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture

• So some cultures may be more or less enterprising?

• Can you think of any examples from your own experience?

• Could it to some extent explain why some countries such as USA are more enterprising than others?

• Perhaps look on web after today’s session?

Next week

• We’ll be looking at our own perspectives on life – you will do some web based diagnostic tests between now and the next session.

• One of the tests the GET test is specifically about enterprise, the others are about how you perceive life. So there will be some self study...

Self study homework• Use the internet to do 3 diagnostic tests – there are links from the Wiki

website• Seligman learned optimism test• Rotter’s locus of control• GET test • Then look at website wordle and produce a word cloud with words and

phrases that are in your mind/thoughts after the above 3 diagnostic tests

• Then produce a learning log. • Bring the results with you to the next session! – Print off your word

cloud• And remember to bring with you the results of your interview with an

entrepreneur!

Website with resources

• My email A.G.Holmes@hull.ac.uk

• The wiki website for the course• http://enterpriseskillsuniversityofhull.wikispac

es.com/