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Abstract
Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) is gaining attraction in engineering education. Efforts in fostering EM in students range from program wide to individual instructor-led approaches. EM, which embraces entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, is more than what entrepreneurship represents. Entrepreneurship refers to activities associated with the intent to start a new business or venture, while intrapreneurship is about knowledge and skills used for initiatives within companies or corporations. Whether they become intrapreneurs or entrepreneurs, EM empowers engineers to develop sound technical solutions that address customer needs, are feasible from a business perspective, and have societal benefits. The skills targeted include, but not limited to, opportunity identification, market evaluation, customer engagement, solution assessment and communication in economic terms and customer value, business model creation, and so on. Industrial and systems engineers (ISE) are trained in system and process design, problem solving, and process improvement; they use mathematical, scientific and technical knowledge in modeling, analyzing, and solving problems involving people, information, equipment, material and financial assets. Therefore, there is a natural synergy and overlap between EM and ISE. In this paper, first the alignment of EM with the ISE Body of Knowledge is discussed. Then the results of a systematic literature review conducted to evaluate to what extent EM is explicitly integrated into ISE education are presented. The findings help reveal the current deployment level of EM in ISE education, and serve as a resource for ISE educators and researchers by providing examples of EM implementation with ISE focus.
Keywords
Entrepreneurial Mindset, ISE education, intrapreneur, entrepreneur, ISEBoK.
1.Introduction
Entrepreneurship refers to activities associated with the intent to start a new business or venture. While this domain had been closely associated with business schools and business education in the past [1], the focus on entrepreneurship in other disciplines, including engineering, has been on the rise [2]-[3]. Entrepreneurship in engineering education, however, encompasses more than what entrepreneurship in the traditional sense represents. It aims to develop knowledge and traits needed for opportunity recognition and value creation in any context [4]. For entrepreneurs this is in new business ventures and for intrapraneurs this is in their organizations as employees. In either setting, a particular set of skills and attitudes are needed, which combined defines entrepreneurial mindset (EM).
Efforts in fostering EM in...