The Role of Higher Education in Shaping Essential Personality Traits for Achieving Success in Entrepreneurship in Spain

Abstract

Research on university education and its role in developing personality traits essential to achieving success in entrepreneurship is required because of the significance of entrepreneurship for advancements in the economic, social, technological, and environmental spheres. Additionally, the value of a university education in shaping an individual’s personality, and the necessity of emphasizing entrepreneurship in higher education for students to achieve real success, should be a priority in our society. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore how university education influences personality traits that are key to success in entrepreneurship in Spain. To achieve this objective, a qualitative methodology based on the study of 11 cases has been adopted. The results allow us to conclude that university education has a decisive influence on the development of the personality traits that integrally determine entrepreneurial success as the culmination of the final stage of the maturation process; however, a university education is not fundamental to the development of these traits. Nevertheless, entrepreneurs emphasized that the personality traits analyzed need to be reinforced explicitly in university education since they effectively positively impact the success of entrepreneurial initiatives.