Instructor Resource
Neck, Neck, & Murray, Entrepreneurship: The Practice and Mindset
SAGE Publications, 2018
1
Experiential Exercises
Chapter 14: Developing Networks
Source:
Adapted from Teaching Entrepreneurship: A Practice-Based Approach (p.
214–218), by H. Neck, P. Greene, & C. Brush, 2014, Northampton, MA:Elgar.
Exercise: Resource Acquisition Game
Description:
This exercise offers students an opportunity to develop and reflect on networking
approaches for resource acquisition through a simple interactive exercise. New ventures are
Material List:
•
Resource List Handout (at the end of this document)
Time Plan (35 minutes)
Discussion
(10 minutes)
Ask students questions related to the chapter reading, such as:
•
How is a network useful to an entrepreneur?
Exercise Instructions
(5 minutes)
Pass out the resource list handout and give the following instructions to the students:
•
Find a person who possesses one of the resources on the list.
•
Have the person sign his/her name next to the resource he/she possesses.
•
You cannot use the same person for multiple resources.
Filling Out the Resource Sheet
(5 minutes)
Exercise Debrief
(15 minutes)
•
What happened during this exercise?
•
Were some resources easier to obtain? Harder to obtain?
o
Which were harder? Why?
Instructor Resource
Neck, Neck, & Murray, Entrepreneurship: The Practice and Mindset
SAGE Publications, 2018
2
•
Which were most valuable?
o
How did you determine whether resources were valuable or rare?
o
Valuable—built webpage, has more than 500 LinkedIn contacts.
o
Rare—has a patent, speaks more than four languages.
o
Was “value” obvious?
•
What was your strategy for acquisition?
o
Easy first? Hardest first? Mixed?
o
Time—did the 5-minute time limit influence your approach?
o
Types of resources:
•
What types of resources are represented in these items?
o
Which types of resources did you go after first? Most likely to
acquire?
Key Takeaways
•
Resources are often acquired within a network. All types of resources can be
found in a network—human, social, organizational, technological, physical,
and financial.
•
Resources differ in their quantity and availability, so the more diverse the
Teaching Tips
Students often begin quietly, without moving around very much; then, as they realize that
they are time constrained, they move around. Some students become competitive, others will
shout out, while others will move around very little. They will often forget that the instructor
can be part of the exercise and frequently possesses some of the more rare or hard-to-find
resources. They never think to leave the room even if some of the resources are possessed by
people nearby.
You may want to consider altering the resource list to better fit your student population.
Instructor Resource
Neck, Neck, & Murray, Entrepreneurship: The Practice and Mindset
SAGE Publications, 2018
3
Resource Acquisition Exercise
Try to find a person who possesses this resource. Have that person sign his or her name.
Try to obtain as many resources as you can in the time allotted. A person can only sign for
one resources. You may use yourself for only one resource.
2.
Has travelled to Asia ______________________________________
4.
Is part of a family business ______________________________________
6.
Has a $20 bill ______________________________________
8.
Belongs to an entrepreneurship club ______________________________________
10.
Plays chess ______________________________________
12.
Plays a musical instrument ______________________________________
14.
Knows how to code ______________________________________
16.
Has more than 500 LinkedIn contacts ______________________________________
18.
Has fired an employee ______________________________________
20.
Has been sky diving ______________________________________