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Research results. Considering the experience of Lithuanian entrepreneurs working in
international markets and the expert assessment of the heads of Lithuanian small and
medium-sized enterprises a list of key competencies was made.
Theoretical aspects of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial competencies
Scientific literature and Lithuanian and EU legal documents provide diverse definitions of
the term “entrepreneurship”. L. Gegeckienė and A. Grikšienė present two definitions of
entrepreneurshi According to the first definition, “entrepreneurship - an innate and
acquired skills that allow a person to think innovatively, be active and take risks in all real
life situations”; according to the second definition, “entrepreneurship - looking for fresh
new ideas, project implementation, i.e. the ability to successfully organize and handle one's
life and business and gain beneficial results when producing goods and providing services.
That refers to thinking and acting “(Gegeckienė & Grikšienė, 2009).
As stated by G. Strazdienė and A. Garalis, entrepreneurship is usually perceived as “the
abilities necessary for establishing and developing business. This requires personal qualities
and subject specific skills: imagination, creative thinking, taking risks, initiative, receptivity to
innovation, intuition, management skills and other skills and abilities. Entrepreneurship
refers to new ideas and project implementation, creative thinking and acting (Strazdienė &
Garalis, 2006). T. Jovaiša and S. Shaw define entrepreneurship as the ability to organize
business – the abilities that help people search for opportunities, organize their own
business and achieve higher results (Jovaiša & Shaw, 1998). As noted by Drucker,
entrepreneurship should be considered as the behavioural model rather than a personality
trait. According to the scientist, an entrepreneur adapts market opportunities to create his
own business model, searches for changes, reacts to them and uses them for his business
development. The entrepreneur implements his business ideas despite possible difficulties
and risks (Drucker, 2006).
J. Schumpeter defines entrepreneurship as “the creation of new business combinations” and
suggests five activity categories: 1) the introduction of new products into the market; 2) the
implementation of a new production method; 3) establishing a new market or niche within
the market; 4) the assimilation of new supply sources; 5) an innovative industry organization
seeking to destroy the existing monopoly. As stated by J. Schumpeter, the mission of an
entrepreneur is to continually improve and modify economic processes. According to the
author, a successful entrepreneur not merely responds to changes but also initiates them
and actively implements them (Schumpeter, 1934).
Z. Lydeka admits that entrepreneurship might be defined as innate talents and acquired
skills (abilities) that enable persons to think creatively and take risks. The innate skills could
be as follows: intuition, adventurism, reaction, venturesomeness, career greed, self-seeking,
self-confidence, etc. The acquired entrepreneurial skills are those which are gained during
studies or practical activities, i.e. knowledge and practical experience that form universal
and special skills. The latter ones are referred to as professional skills (subject specific skills)
(Lydeka, 1996). According to I. Zaleskienė and L. Žadeikaitė, entrepreneurship is related to
initiative, abilities, independence and innovation in personal and social spheres of life
(Zaleskienė & Žadeikaitė, 2008).
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