What is the E13 (or MCI (Morris Competency Instrument))?
The E13 is a validated assessment of 13 entrepreneurial competencies. The assessment was published in a 2013 research paper by Michael Morris, Justin Webb, Jun Fu, and Sujata Singhal. The E13 was developed to assess the impact that entrepreneurial experiences have on the growth of students’ entrepreneurial competencies.
What are entrepreneurial competencies?
A competency is made up of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and behaviors required to successfully perform a particular activity. In many cases, competencies can be developed over time through both education and experiences. In the E13, there are 13 identified competencies that are related to entrepreneurial success. The 13 competencies are:
- Opportunity Recognition
- Opportunity Assessment
- Risk Management/Mitigation
- Conveying a Compelling Vision
- Tenacity/Perseverance
- Creative Problem Solving/Imagintiveness
- Resource Leveraging
- Guerrilla Skills
- Value Creation
- Maintain Focus yet Adapt
- Resilience
- Self-Efficacy
- Building and Using Networks
Who should use the E13?
The E13 can be used by individuals to gauge their personal growth in entrepreneurial competencies, and can also be used by researchers and educators to identify educational experiences that are likely to increase entrepreneurial competencies in students.
How often should I take the E13?
There is no limit to the number of times you can take the E13. But keep in mind, taking the E13 assessment every day will not increase your entrepreneurial competencies! Competencies are developed through training and practice. Therefore, a pre-test/post-test research design (with entrepreneurial training and practice occurring between the pre-test and post-test) is recommended for those interested in getting the most out of the E13.
What do the E13 scores mean?
The results of the E13 assessment provide a value between 1 and 5 that assess your personal competency in each of the 13 areas. The first time you take the E13 your scores represent your baseline. From that point forward, your scores on subsequent tests represent your growth in the 13 entrepreneurial competencies as a result of education, life experiences, and self-awareness.
How accurate and reliable is the E13?
Like all assessments that use self-reporting, the E13 can only be as accurate as you are honest. Also, keep in mind that when using the E13 you are measuring your subjective expression of your competencies. Your E13 scores are unique to you, and not related to anyone else’s assessment scores. So while the E13 can show growth in your competency, it should not be used as an objective measure of entrepreneurial competency from person to person.
For a more in depth conversation on the accuracy and reliability of the E13 assessment, see page 361 of Morris, M. H., Webb, J. W., Fu, J., & Singhal, S. (2013). A Competency-Based Perspective on Entrepreneurship Education: Conceptual and Empirical Insights. Journal of Small Business Management, 51(3), 352–369. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12023
What do you do with my data once I take the E13 assessment?
The first thing that will happen is you will receive your results of your E13 assessment in an email. In the email, you will have the opportunity to opt-in to our email list. If you join the email list you will hear from us from time to time on the findings of our research, and opportunities for training and workshops in entrepreneurship. If you don’t opt in, you won’t hear from us again.
Regarding your E13 data – we anonymize it and analyze it with our research partners in order to bring new insights in the area of entrepreneurship research. To be clear, we will not sell your data or share your email address.