Development of Entrepreneurial Competencies in the Economy (Evidence From Digital Entrepreneurship)

In turn, competencyis "a group of interrelated behavioral actions, which, when they are manifested by the candidate and considered by the observer, characterize competence in a specific aspect of the work performed"[5]. The concept of competenceis broader than competency because the latter is included in its composition as the ability of the individual to carry out effective professional activities, using knowledge and skills in practice. The components of competency are presented in Fig. 1.

Figure 1

Competency components[6]

It should be noted that the specialists of any scope of activity must possess general competence (a person's ability for analysis, synthesis, general knowledge, the ability for independent learning, collaboration and communication, commitment, leadership, organized nature, and ability to plan[7]), necessary for existence in social medium, as well as for resolving any situations not even related to a specific professional activity. Along with the general competence of any specialist, there are professional competences, corresponding to the type of activity, specialty, necessary specific knowledge, experience, and personal qualities. Vasilyeva E.V. identifies the following types of competencies in the concepts of competency-based learning of the European Higher Education Area (Fig. 2).

Figure 2

Types of competencies in terms of competency-based learning of the European Higher Education Area[8]

Professional competence should be considered as an integrated result of the acquired experience associated with the acquisition of professional knowledge, the ability to use their totality in professional activity, the formation of the relevant personal qualities of the individual. Employee’s competence is formed on the basis of existing competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities), as well as the motivation of employees. The last component is very important because the employee can use the existing potential for benefit of the enterprise only if highly motivated. In a competitive environment, the main priorities of professional competence of the specialist are the ability to adapt to rapid changes and new needs of the labor market, be proficient in information technology, more active, make decisions quickly, and learn throughout life[9]. In terms of practical psychology, entrepreneurial competence is a personal quality, ability, and behavior model, necessary to solve successfully certain business tasks and achieve high results in entrepreneurial activity. In the European Reference Framework (Key Competencies for Lifelong Learning), entrepreneurial competence is interpreted as an individual's ability to translate ideas into the economic life, as integrated quality, which is based on creativity, creative activities, innovativeness, ability to take risks, as well as the ability to plan and organize entrepreneurial activities[10].

Currently, science-intensive industries, such as, in particular, biotechnology, genetic engineering, and computer programming are actively developing; labor efficiency is growing. This has direct impact on improving living standards. The digital economy stimulates relatively high incomes based on small capital and a small number of employees. At the same time, in the field of solving problems in a technologically rich environment, the Russian population is noticeably behind the population of the OECD countries. In particular, Russia recorded low growth in the dissemination of key information and communication skills among its residents, especially in the field of elementary digital literacy. The country lacks monitoring of adult competencies: when testing the assessment of competencies, it was revealed that 33.6 % of Russian testees did not know how to use the keyboard and mouse (while in OECD countries this figure amounted to just 19.5 %)[11].

The approach, given by different authors to the formulation of competencies for successful employment in the digital economy varies. Thus, some authors[12] argue that there should be four main types of competencies: professional, communicative, information, and digital; while the others[13] write that in relation to the digital economy, a paradigm of the terms, such as hard skills, soft skills, and digital skills reflecting the drastic changes in the education sphere, has emerged.

There are also several approaches to understanding the content of the digital competencies concept. According to one of the generally accepted interpretations, digital competencies (relative to a certain person) are the knowledge and skills, which are necessary for the correct, effective, and safe use of digital technologies, as well as existence in a society, which is saturated with digital technologies[14].