{"id":77661,"date":"2025-07-24T00:01:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T04:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=77661"},"modified":"2025-07-24T00:01:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T04:01:56","slug":"the-keys-to-being-an-entrepreneurial-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/the-keys-to-being-an-entrepreneurial-university\/","title":{"rendered":"The keys to being an entrepreneurial university"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The increasing importance of knowledge in the economy and the phenomenon of globalization are transforming higher education. Universities must prepare students for lifelong learning so that\u00a0they don’t fall behind<\/a>\u00a0in the face of changing labor market demands.<\/p>\n

To meet this challenge, it is important for universities\u00a0to transform themselves into entrepreneurial ones<\/em><\/a>\u00a0. Europe, for example, has promoted\u00a0reforms to its higher education system<\/a>\u00a0to make it more attractive and competitive globally.<\/p>\n

University governance<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When, in addition to training and research, higher education institutions innovate and foster entrepreneurship, we speak of\u00a0entrepreneurial universities<\/em>\u00a0: engines of economic and social development in the regions where they operate. This allows them to better respond to market demands and maximize their impact on society. However, adopting this approach to teaching, research, and outreach requires them to transform their university governance model.<\/p>\n

The governance of an organization refers to the design, definition, and implementation of the strategies and structures that will enable it\u00a0to achieve its objectives<\/a>\u00a0. To understand how the type of governance affects entrepreneurial behavior,\u00a0we analyze the case of the Faculty of Engineering<\/a>\u00a0at Mondragon University, a cooperative university that is part of the\u00a0business group<\/a>\u00a0of the same name.<\/p>\n

Cooperativism: commitment and collaboration<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Mondragon University, of which the Higher Polytechnic School is a part, has its origins in the cooperative movement initiated by the Basque priest\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Arizmendiarrieta<\/a>\u00a0, in the mid-1950s in the town of Mondrag\u00f3n (Guip\u00fazcoa).<\/p>\n

Its operation is based on\u00a0the participation and contributions<\/a>\u00a0of three groups of members:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Working members, which include teaching and non-teaching staff.<\/li>\n
  2. Beneficiary members, the students.<\/li>\n
  3. Collaborating members, primarily companies, institutions, and local administrations (e.g., municipalities and inter-municipal entities), with equal representation on the Governing Boards and General Assemblies of the university and its faculties.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Internally, this cooperative university guides its objectives through four-year strategic plans, which are complemented each year by the respective management plans.<\/p>\n

    In terms of organization, it uses a matrix in which the three university missions\u2014teaching, research, and lifelong learning and transfer\u2014are located vertically. And horizontally, the subjects of study: mechanics and electronics. In this way, the people involved in the educational process respond to the needs of all three missions.<\/p>\n

    In general,\u00a0in cooperative organizations<\/a>\u00a0, governance is aligned with the principles of participatory management, solidarity in resource distribution, and intercooperation. Furthermore, it seeks to strengthen commitment and collaboration among cooperators to generate a sense of belonging and inclusive management.<\/p>\n

    Entrepreneurial behaviors<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    For a university to have an entrepreneurial orientation means that\u00a0it focuses its strategy on entrepreneurial behaviors<\/a>\u00a0such as the capacity for innovation, risk-taking, and proactivity to fulfill the\u00a0three university missions<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n

    These behaviors are manifested through the use of innovative and constantly evolving methodologies, the creation of new spaces for research, and the quality of research itself.<\/p>\n

    By transferring value to society and promoting continuing education\u2014the third mission of universities, beyond teaching and research\u2014we foster relationships with businesses and academic entrepreneurship. This translates into benefits such as: greater connection with the productive sector, the generation of new entrepreneurial initiatives, and a dynamic and adaptable academic offering.<\/p>\n

    The governance of the Polytechnic School<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Once entrepreneurial behaviors were identified, the\u00a0objective of our research<\/a>\u00a0was to deepen our understanding of how these behaviors interrelate with key elements of university governance at the Mondragon University Higher Polytechnic School.<\/p>\n

    MGEP’s cooperative governance is based on horizontal structures to foster individual participation, open communication, a sense of belonging, and continuous learning among all its members, leading to transparent and equitable decision-making.<\/p>\n

    In an organization with cooperative governance, entrepreneurial behaviors can be integrated into the three university missions (teaching, research, and outreach). There are three key mechanisms that facilitate this integration:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. A commitment to a long-term vision, driven by shared ownership and a strong sense of identification with the region’s development.<\/li>\n
    2. The use of management tools that enable and encourage staff to actively identify and exploit opportunities, including equity participation and incentives.<\/li>\n
    3. The practice of linking decision-making to collective stakeholder engagement, fostering cohesion and a shared vision.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      These mechanisms, which strengthen commitment, innovation, and connection with the productive environment, can serve as a reference for other universities. Although not all institutions have a cooperative nature, many can adapt these approaches to foster entrepreneurial behaviors and promote a culture of participation, self-management, and collaborative decision-making.<\/p>\n

      Author Bios:<\/strong> Maite Couto-Ortega works with Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Technology Adoption and Transfer, Results Valuation, and University-Business Cooperation at Mondragon University, Davide Hahn is Assistant Professor at Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Bergamo, Leire Markuerkiaga Arritola is Professor and Researcher in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mondragon University, Lucia Rodriguez-Aceves is Assistant Professor at Pan-American University and Tommaso Minola is a Full Professor at Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Bergamo<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The increasing importance of knowledge in the economy and the phenomenon of globalization are transforming higher education. Universities must prepare students for lifelong learning so that\u00a0they don’t fall behind\u00a0in the face of changing labor market demands. To meet this challenge, it is important for universities\u00a0to transform themselves into entrepreneurial ones\u00a0. Europe, for example, has promoted\u00a0reforms […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[435438],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-77661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-higher-education","tag-entrepreneurial-university"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe keys to being an entrepreneurial university - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/the-keys-to-being-an-entrepreneurial-university\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The keys to being an entrepreneurial university - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The increasing importance of knowledge in the economy and the phenomenon of globalization are transforming higher education. 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