Entrepreneurship Culture 2600-MSMdz2pzsKP
This course invites students to critically reflect on where entrepreneurship comes from and what drives it – but also on what limits, distorts, or mythologizes it. The course begins with an analysis of the hustle culture phenomenon and its impact on Generation Z – students consider whether the contemporary glorification of constant work fosters real entrepreneurship or rather leads to burnout and the appearance of success. This naturally opens the way to the second topic, devoted to the ethical boundaries of entrepreneurship and the fake it till you make it philosophy. Using the example of Theranos – the startup of Elizabeth Holmes that promised a revolution in medical diagnostics – students analyze the mechanisms of corporate fraud, the role of narrative in building credibility, and the boundaries between visionary thinking and manipulation. This is complemented by the latest systematic literature review (Simborowski, 2025), debunking the myth that habitual entrepreneurs achieve better results in subsequent ventures. Subsequent classes are devoted to historical and regional determinants of entrepreneurship. Students learn about the results of 37-year longitudinal studies on the relationship between antisocial behavior in youth and later entrepreneurial activity (Obschonka et al., 2013; Obschonka, 2016), analyze the role of the education system – still based on the Prussian model – in shaping (or suppressing) entrepreneurial attitudes, and discuss the performative construct of Startup Nation and its influence on public policy. The course concludes with a block devoted to organizational culture as a factor conditioning innovation and entrepreneurship within organizations. Students diagnose organizational culture profiles using the OCAI questionnaire (Cameron and Quinn) and consider which types of cultures foster and which inhibit entrepreneurial activity. All classes are conducted in the form of a seminar with elements of Oxford-style debate, work with academic and journalistic texts, and case analysis.
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
S5_W01 The graduate knows and understands advanced terminology in entrepreneurship and startup management within the discipline of management and quality sciences and in supplementary disciplines.
S5_W02 The graduate knows and understands, at an advanced level, methods, procedures and practices of effective startup management and those related to entrepreneurship.
S5_U01 The graduate is able to use the theory of management and quality sciences and supplementary sciences to identify, diagnose and solve complex and atypical problems related to startup management and entrepreneurship.
S5_U02 The graduate is able to correctly interpret complex technological, social, political, legal, economic, ecological processes and phenomena and their impact on startup management and entrepreneurship.
S5_U05 The graduate is able to propose solutions to tasks set in unpredictable conditions in the area of startup management and entrepreneurship.
S5_U08 The graduate is able to improve qualifications and is capable of self-education.
S5_K03 The graduate is ready to initiate activities that benefit the community, society, or the environment.
S5_K04 The graduate is ready to think and act entrepreneurially.
S5_K05 The graduate is ready to observe, enforce and develop professional ethical standards in business relations and to care for professional ethos.
Assessment criteria
Assessment methods: active participation in discussions and debates (including Oxford debate), short written assignments (post-reading reflections), final paper – essay or group project. Assessed: quality of argumentation, critical thinking ability, ability to engage with academic literature. One absence permitted without justification.
Bibliography
Brüne, N., & Lutz, E. (2020). The effect of entrepreneurship education in schools on entrepreneurial outcomes: A systematic review. Management Review Quarterly, 70(2), 275–305.
Cameron, K. S., & Quinn, R. E. (2015). Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture. Jossey-Bass.
Carreyrou, J. (2018). Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. Knopf.
Fromm, E. (1941/2021). Escape from Freedom. Holt.
Obschonka, M. (2016). Adolescent Pathways to Entrepreneurship. Child Development Perspectives, 10(3), 196–201.
Obschonka, M., Andersson, H., Silbereisen, R. K., & Sverke, M. (2013). Rule-breaking, crime, and entrepreneurship: A replication and extension study with 37-year longitudinal data. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83(3), 386–396.
Simborowski, G. (2025). Debunking the Myth of Superior Performance in New Venture Creation by Habitual Entrepreneurs – A Systematic Literature Review [working paper].
Simborowski, G., & Kłobukowski, P. (2025). Unlocking lock-in. Emergence, perpetuation and decline of regional entrepreneurship in transitional societies: examples from contemporary Poland.
Simborowski, G. (2021). Teenage entrepreneurship [MA thesis excerpts – case studies].
StartUp Nation – The Making and Performativity of an Empty Signifier [academic article].