In order to explore the relationship between competence and arrogance, the authors developed a case study based on real facts that a young ergonomist entrepreneur was confronted with. The entrepreneur need only “over trust” and a strong personality, an arrogance that permits him to live more experience and then acquire expertise. This chapter is in continuity with the previous. It offers to the reader a different perspective in order to investigate this ambiguous relationship between arrogance and competence in the field of entrepreneurship.
TopShould Entrepreneur Consider Competence As Resources?
Several authors define competences as a set of skills, know-how, activities and routines, and distinguish them from resources that are assets to be valued (Gordon and Tarafdar 2007). Moreover, by referring to the work of Reynaud (2001), we noted the existence of a certain nuance between the concept of resources and competences. Indeed, resources at disposal of entrepreneur can be defined as the tangible and intangible assets that he holds, that is to say the elements necessary for the functioning.
Hafeez et al. (2002) confirmed that resources are different from competences and constitute everything that can be a strength or weakness of the company, they include raw materials, equipment, finance, the image of the firm, etc. This means tangible and intangible resources. On the other hand, competences are valued capacities which allow any entrepreneur to deliver added value to clients and thus constitute a network of capacities. Similarly, competences are not mere capacities but rather enhanced capacities. They are usual and simple applications of activities and processes, and primary source of development of competitive advantages.
Competences are an inherent quality of an individual or group of individuals who can refine a resource. They are seen as capacities to support a coordinated deployment of assets in order to achieve a given objective (Ljungquist 2007).
According to Escrig Tena and Bou-Llusar (2005), competences are considered as specific capabilities and talents used to properly deploy resources and support the coordinated deployment of assets. They refer to cognitive characteristics that contribute to the achievement of activities and the attainment of specific objectives.
From another point of view, some authors such as Major et al. (2001), consider that competences allow to evaluate the different possibilities of action and investment in the future with maximum realism. The aim is to facilitate the opening up and development of future paths, taking into account the scarce of resources.
The Competence of Entrepreneur Between Design and Delivery
Competences appear as a complex combinatorial of different types of knowledge and abilities to produce a result (De Meyer et al. 1999). Gilbert and Parlier (1992) consider that competences encompass “the body of knowledge, capacity for action, and behavior, structured according to purpose and in a given type of situation”. Thus, the authors are unanimous in saying that competences call for knowledge as well as action and practice. Indeed, knowledge refers to the concept of design whereas action, behavior and the ability to produce a result refer to the notion of execution, perform and delivery. These two notions were developed by two approaches, namely the French approach and the Anglo-Saxon approach (Saint-Onge 1999).