Do Entrepreneurship Skills Improve Project Performance? A Project-Based Learning Perspective

Abstract

This study examines the effect of entrepreneurship skillsets on project performance. Building upon the theory of planned behaviour, we examine the impact of individual entrepreneurship orientation (IEO) and entrepreneurship self-efficacy (ESE) on project performance, using a sample of 243 observations from students’ projects in areas of science, engineering and technology. We examine our research questions using a combination of multivariate regression analysis and robust regression. The results show that the survey is valid and reliable in measuring IEO and ESE, and the survey can be used to assess the relationship between IEO, ESE and project performance. In addition, the findings indicate that appearance self-efficacy is the variable that most significantly contributes to project performance, followed by social skills, then management skills. The study provides insights into how entrepreneurship skills can be viewed as important skillsets for success in projects and how operations and project managers can emphasise certain entrepreneurship skills to enhance project performance. At the individual level, entrepreneurship skills can be viewed as skillsets that improve project performance even in projects that are less entrepreneurial in nature. The improvement in performance is primarily in projects that are more structured, have a specific timeline and have defined objectives.