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Country Report: Bulgaria - e-Leadership Skills for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

e-Leadership Skills for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

Country Report BULGARIA A Snapshot and Scoreboard of e-Leadership Skills in Policy, Higher Education and the Labour Market

Contact

For further information, please contact:

empirica Gesellschaft für Kommunikations- und Technologieforschung mbH

Oxfordstr. 2, 53111 Bonn, Germany

Tel: (49-228) 98530-0 * e-Mail: [email protected] *

Web: www.empirica.com

Bonn and Brussels, March 2015

Authors:

Karsten Gareis Eriona Dashja Philipp Markus Tobias Stabenow

With contributions from:

George Sharkov, ESI CEE

http://www.empirica.com/

Country Report: Bulgaria - e-Leadership Skills for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

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Disclaimer

The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the information provided in this document.

About this document

This document is a Country Report produced in the course of the service contract “e-Leadership Skills for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises”, or short "LEAD”. Services are provided under contract for the European Commission, DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs – Unit H/3 - Key Enabling Technologies and Digital Economy, Tender No. 288/PP/ENT/CIP/13/C/N01C012

About LEAD

LEAD develops targeted actions for start-ups and fast growing SMEs to provide them with relevant e-leadership skills and qualifications for entrepreneurs, managers and advanced ICT users that are recognized trans-nationally.

The LEAD consortium includes the partners: empirica, INSEAD, IE Business School, Henley Business School, Aarhus University, New Bulgarian University, Antwerp Management School, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), IDC Europe, PIN-SME and CIONET.

LEAD analyses the role of e-leaders in SMEs and entrepreneurial firms based on engagement with SMEs to gain insights into what

kinds of leaders SMEs rely on to ensure they can use ICT to develop, grow and compete, how SMEs use ICT to develop, grow and compete and what kind of e-leadership skills they need to succeed.

This work represents an important step forward towards helping business schools and SMEs collaborate and develop insights and a common language for SMEs to access and foster leaders who are both business and ICT-savvy (“e-leaders”) and who ensure SMEs use ICT effectively. It is laying the groundwork for the planning of targeted educational offers for SMEs and entrepreneurs by business schools and universities, which will be demonstrated within the project duration.

LEAD also engages with other stakeholder groups from education and the labour market, associations representing SMEs, start-ups and gazelles and others to take into account the target groups evolving requirements for e-leadership.

LEAD aims to sharpen the e-leadership definitions and metrics, specify data requirements for establishing monitoring mechanisms which can be used as a basis for policy making and to improve monitoring of demand and supply of these skills. Technology trends are analysed to understand their impact on new business models and organisation of companies and their e-leadership requirements. An overview of the present European e-leadership policy landscape for the different target groups is developed as well as an overview of the present European landscape of

e-Leadership courses and MOOCs. In addition a search and analysis of initiatives from industry, education and training organisations is carried out.

Content

1 e-Leadership Scoreboard 3

2 Policies of relevance to e-Leadership skills development 5

3 Stakeholder initiatives for the promotion of e-Leadership skills development 8

4 Assessment of policies and stakeholder initiatives on development of skills in e-leadership and digital entrepreneurship 14

5 Best practice policy and stakeholder initiatives 16

Methodology 17

Country Report: Bulgaria - e-Leadership Scoreboard

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1 e-Leadership Scoreboard

The scoreboard offers an approach to monitoring and assessing issues related to e-leadership skills development, such as: education offers, workforce potential, exploitation opportunities, and enabling policies or other driving mechanisms. It compares European Member States, allowing for a comparative assessment of e-leadership performance of Member states. Doing so, it showcases relative strengths and weaknesses of national e-leadership ecosystems, thus informing and enabling policy discussions.

The e-leadership scoreboard comprises four levels: 24 indicators, 7 building blocks, 4 dimensions to be further aggregated to one overall e -leadership Index (eLI).

The “e-leadership skilling” dimension consists of one building block, “Education and Training”. This building block aims to capture e-leadership education and training through four indicators: The number of Master's/Exec Education level programmes with a mix of ICT & business (per population), the number of e-leadership candidate programmes (per population), the share of enterprises that provided training to ICT/IT specialists and quality of management schools. In the second dimension, “e-leadership workforce potential”, the e-Leadership Skilled Professionals and e-Leadership Pipeline building blocks aim to gauge the extent of e-skills/ICT practitioners and e-leadership in the workforce. The expectation is that e-leadership competences, as defined in the context of this study, prevail in or recruit from these two selected categories. Overall this dimension of the

scoreboard looks to offer a proxy for the potential estimates of e-leaders in each country. A third dimension is entitled “e-leadership skills exploitation” and attempts to assess the friendliness of a country’s business framework and extent of its preparedness in exploiting opportunities provided by ICT. It contains three building blocks capturing aspects from Business Environment, Innovation Opportunities and Technology Trends in each country. The fourth dimension: “e-leadership skills promoters” rests on the proposition that countries with efficient enabling mechanisms (policies,

Rank: 26

Index score: 2.43

ValueScore

(0-10)EU 28 Rank EU 28 avg.

Education and training

10 0.46 20 40

- per

100,0- per 100,000 population aged 20-59 0.2 0.86 22 1

1 0.91 14 1

- per

100,0- per 100,000 of workforce with potential e-leadership skills 0.0 0.00 13 0.4

4% 1.33 26 9.6%

-

SMEs - SMEs that provided training to ICT/IT specialists 4% 2.14 25 8.4%

3.6 0.00 28 4.81

e-leadership skilled professionals

30,832 0.5 15 99,726

Line

mana- as % of total workforce 1.1% 3.4 17 1.3%

17,252 0.4 15 63,021

ICT

mana- as % of total workforce 0.6% 2.3 15 0.8%

e-leadership pipeline

29,062 0.3 18 115,205

ICT

practi- as % of total workforce 1.0% 1.4 21 1.48%

3 3.7 21 3.5

25 4.8 8 22.14

Business environment

105 0.6 13 235

%

share - as % of total number of high growth enterprises 3.9% 2.4 15 4.7%

250 0.4 15 771

%

share - as % of total number of high growth enterprises 9.2% 2.8 21 13.3%

56,038 0.7 17 154,090

Empl

oyme- as % of total employment 2.9% 3.8 14 3.0%

188,551 0.3 19 789,975

Empl

oyme- as % of total employment 9.9% 0.7 26 15.0%

13% 2.9 27 23.8%

% of

SMEs % of SMEs that employed ICT/IT specialists 13% 3.0 24 22.4%

Innovation opportunities

3.3 1.2 24 4.17

3.2 0.7 24 4.22

4.2 0.5 26 5.18

4.1 1.8 24 4.88

Technology trends

4.4 0.5 26 5.65

30% 4.4 14 29.8%

3% 2.9 14 4.14%

National policy and stakeholder initiatives

2.5 2.9 13 2.87

2.5 4.3 9 2.25

3.0 6.0 5 2.45

Employment in ICT sector

e-l

ead

ers

hip

sk

illin

g Master/Exec Ed level programmes with a mix of ICT & business

E-leadership candidate programmes

Quality of management schools

Bulgaria

Enterprises that provided training to ICT/IT specialists

e-l

ead

ers

hip

wo

rkfo

rce

po

ten

tial

Line managers

ICT managers, architects and analysts

ICT practioners - professional level

ICT graduates (per 1000 population aged 20-24)

Business administration graduates (per 1000 population aged 20-24)

Employment in ICT intensive sectors

e-l

ead

ers

hip

sk

ills

pro

mo

ters

ICT Practitioner Skills

Skills for digital entrepreneurship

e-Leadership education and training

Firm-level technology absorption

Impact of ICT on new services and products

% of enterprises using social networks

e-l

ead

ers

hip

sk

ills

exp

loit

ati

on

Availability of latest technologies

% of enterprises using RFID technologies

Capacity for innovation

Percentage of enterprises that employed ICT/IT specialists

State of cluster development

High growth enterprises in ICT sector

High growth enterprises in ICT intensive sectors

Country Report: Bulgaria - e-Leadership Scoreboard

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initiatives, etc.) are well positioned to produce the right mix of e-leadership skills in line with the dynamics of the job market demand and talent requirement. This dimension is composed of one building block which looks to capture insights on available programmes and initiatives focusing on e-leadership education and training targeting large companies as well as those targeting digital entrepreneurs and high-growth SMEs (gazelles).

e-Leadership performance per indicatorEU BG

Master/Exec Ed level programmes with a mix of ICT & business



Line managers


ICT core professionals

ICT graduates

Business administration graduates




Employment in ICT intensive sectors % of enterprises that employed ICT/IT specialists





% of enteprises using social networks


National policy and stakeholder initiatives on e-Leadership education and training

National policy &stakeholder initiatives on Skills for digital entrepreneurship

% of enteprises using using RFID technologies

National policy & stakeholder initiatives ICT Practitioner Skills


0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

National policy and stakeholder initiatives Skills for digital entrepreneurship

Business administration graduates

% of enterprises using social networks

National policy and stakeholder initiatives e-Leadership skills


ICT graduates

Line managers

% of enterprises that employed ICT/IT specialists

National policy and stakeholder initiatives ICT Practitioner Skills

% of enterprises using RFID technologies





ICT practioners - professional level



Master/Exec Ed level programmes with a mix of ICT & business







Performance-based indicator ranking

BG EU

Country Report: Bulgaria - Policies of relevance to e-Leadership skills development

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2 Policies of relevance to e-Leadership skills development

The During the seven year period 2014-2020, developments related to innovation in SMEs are supported through two so-called Operational Programmes (OP), which are the main vehicle for channelling EU financial support to beneficiary countries. About €200 million will be provided for the OP "Competitiveness and Innovations" and €508 million for the new OP "Science and Education for Smart Growth".

The first OP, "Competitiveness and Innovation" 2014-2020, only available in draft format at the time of writing, picks up where the previous programme (2007-2013) left off. It aims to foster dynamic competitive development of the economy, based on innovation, boosting effectiveness of production chains and developing high value added sectors.1 e-Leadership related objectives can be found in three priorities:

Priority axis 1 "Entrepreneurship, export and production potential": support innovative start-ups. "It is of extreme importance to use all opportunities to support the entrepreneurs and the SME to take full advantage of the opportunities of ICT"

Investment priority: "Support for the increase of the capacity of SME for the increase of their contribution to the economic growth and development of innovation processes. "Consultancy and investment support for new and/or starting up enterprises only in the priority sectors of high- and medium-technology productions and services of intensive knowledge.... increase the effectiveness of resource use through the introduction of leading technological solutions"

Priority axis 3: Technical Support.

The draft version of the Operational Programme is based on two guiding documents, namely the National Strategy for Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises and the Innovation Strategy for Smart

1 http://www.opcompetitiveness.bg/images/module3/1211_131008_OPIC_draft_fin_CKZ_clean_BG.pdf

Policy & Stakeholder Activity

Summary Assessment

e-Leadership education and training:

Very little policy initiatives are in place which explicitly deal with e-leadership skills, but the Operational Programmes for the 2014-2020 funding period provide ample opportunities to support training and education for e-leadership in SMEs and beyond. The draft OPs demonstrate awareness of the essential role of e-skills and ICT for the future economic prospects of Bulgaria. The great support which the Digital National Alliance has received also signals that Bulgaria is on making good progress. There are various partnerships between the private-sector (e.g. BASSCOM, the software industry association) and higher education institutes with the goal to better align course programmes with the demands of employers, with positive impact on the availability of training for e-leadership.

Skills for digital entrepreneurship:

Policy documents such as the National Strategy for SMEs 2014-2020 pay lip service to the need for promotion of entrepreneurship especially in high-tech segments of the economy, but most public sector activity appears limited to traditional tools such as financial support and training in basic ICT user skills. There is a huge number of initiatives by non-governmental stakeholders who seek to fill the apparent gap; many of these activities clearly target nascent digital entrepreneurs. Examples include Start It Smart and the Bulgarian Young Leaders Program (BYLP). The large number of small-budget initiatives bears the risk of fragmentation and lack of visibility, however.


e-Leadership education and

training

Policies and Stakeholder

Activities


6 / 23

Specialization:

The National Strategy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises 2014-2020 - Small Business Act describes the support that will be provided to SMEs in the country under the new programming period and is aligned with the principles of the Small Business Act (SBA) of the European Union. While the SBA includes a range of specific measures that shall have a bearing on e-leadership skills provision in Europe, the Bulgarian document does not include any concretisation of the measures that are planned in this area.

The Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialization Republic of Bulgaria (2014-2020) is an integrated document covering science policy, innovation policy and policy for digital growth. The strategy is builds on the results of the previous National Innovation Strategy (2006-2013) with the objective to further develop of the national innovation system. The strategy recognizes ICT as enabler of the SMEs for higher competitiveness (on local and international markets) and foresees measures for updates in education programs for better wider use of IT management systems (like ERP, CRM, etc.), designing a digital-based business and e-services, and in particular exploiting the growing market for ICT outsourcing for the generation of more and more effective domestic SMEs.

The second OP, "Science and Education for Smart Growth 2014 – 2020", also available in draft format only at the time of writing, is aiming to be among the key tools for achieving the goals adopted by Bulgaria within the strategy "Europe 2020" and to serve as an effective tool for the implementation of the cohesion policy, according to the agenda at national and Community level. The priority axes of the programme are: Research and Technological Development; National Strategy for lifelong learning; Educational environment for active social inclusion2. The programme provides a range of opportunities for funding actions to enhance the development of e-leadership skills on national level, especially in two priority axes (PA): PA2 Education for real employment, mobility and entrepreneurship; and PA4 Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning.

National Development Programme Bulgaria 2020 is a long-term framework document which defines the vision and common strategic objectives of the national policies up to 2020, encompassing all sectors of socio-economic policies pursued and their regional dimensions. Among the goals of the programme are:

Raising the standard of living through competitive education and training, creating conditions for quality employment and social inclusion and ensuring accessible and quality health care;

Building of infrastructure networks, providing optimal conditions for the development of the economy and quality and healthy environment for the population;

Enhancing the competitiveness of the economy by ensuring a favourable business environment, promotion of investments, application of innovative solutions and improving resource efficiency;

Support of innovation and investment activities to increase the competitiveness of the economy.

Some of the priorities of the NDP are directly relevant for support of e-leadership, in particular Priority 1 (Improving the access to and enhancing the quality of education and training and the quality characteristics of the workforce) and Priority 2 (Promoting innovation and enhancing the competitiveness of Bulgarian economy).3

The National Innovation Fund has the objective of the to promote implementation of science and R&D projects with the aim of boosting economic efficiency, innovative potential and the level of technological sophistication of enterprises; increase private investment; and enhance the dynamics

2 http://sf.mon.bg/OP%20NOIR_2014%2005%2009_contents.pdf

3 http://www.strategy.bg/StrategicDocuments/View.aspx?lang=bg-BG&Id=765; http://www.eufunds.bg/en/page/873;

http://sf.mon.bg/OP%20NOIR_2014%2005%2009_contents.pdf

http://www.strategy.bg/StrategicDocuments/View.aspx?lang=bg-BG&Id=765

http://www.eufunds.bg/en/page/873


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of innovative processes.4 The priority sectors for 2014 are electronics and electrotechnique,

mechanical engineering, food processing, ICT companies, creative industries.5

Apart from these policy initiatives which deal with development of the country's innovative capacity in general terms, the Bulgarian government has recently stepped up activities for addressing the e-skills challenge. Initiated by the European Commission's Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs, Bulgaria has designated a Digital Champion and set up a national digital alliance for the country. The mission of the Digital Champion Bulgaria (Gergana Passy) is to contribute to: Broadband for all; Promoting entrepreneurship; ICT in education; Transforming Bulgaria in Wi-Fi paradise6. The Digital National Alliance (DNA) in Bulgaria is a multi-stakeholder partnership set up with the aim of facilitating action towards enhanced digital skills at national, regional and local level. The DNA has been officially launched on 10 June, 2014. The official opening was attended by Government, Universities, academic institutions and more than 150 representatives of businesses, start-ups and media. It has provoked a great interest among all stakeholders, most of whom have pledged to unite their resources toward three strategic goals:

More Bulgarian people have digital skills and choose career in the ICT;

Fill the gap between education and business and between demand and supply on the labour market;

More support for the Bulgarian youth active in the field of STEM and ICT.

The Digital National Alliance has established three key priorities for its first year:

Launch initiatives targeting broader audience with the aim to help both young people and adults to acquire basic digital skills set;

Launch projects that will lead to a change in education content, teaching methods and approaches in both traditional education and lifelong learning programmes;

Support young Bulgarian talents in any field (art and creative, science, sports and more) in acquiring ICT skills and provide them with the tools to become more successful on the global stage.

The Memorandum has been signed by more than 45 stakeholders so far. To institutionalize and achieve a sustainability of the DNA, a non-profit body was established.

The initiative is complementing other ongoing programs in building skills and competencies in eLeaders, raising their awareness about new opportunities and trends, creating a community, increasing mobility, giving access to new technologies. A particular measure is foreseen to map ICT-related curricula, ICT jobs and e-leadership profiles to the European Competence Framework (e-CF).

4 http://www.sme.government.bg/en/?page_id=2183;

5 http://enterprise.bg/blog-news/9338/

6 http://digitalchampion.bg/

http://www.sme.government.bg/en/?page_id=2183

http://enterprise.bg/blog-news/9338/

http://digitalchampion.bg/

Country Report: Bulgaria - Stakeholder initiatives for the promotion of e-Leadership skills development

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3 Stakeholder initiatives for the promotion of e-Leadership skills development

3.1 Initiatives from the business community

The essential role of e-leadership for the success of the country's ICT sector is being recognised by industry insiders. One way to approach the issue has been the IT Leaders Academy ("Great leaders create leaders"), a series of lectures in practical, business and science issues given by leading figures from Bulgarian and international ICT companies as well as government or NGO institutions. The series is organized by Musala Soft, a software company, in cooperation with Sofia University's Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics.

The Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BASSCOM) together with the national Association of Information Technologies (BAIT), the Bulgarian Web Association (BWA), the ICT Cluster Foundation, the European Software Institute Centre Eastern Europe, and the Telecommunication Association ASTEL have undertaken efforts to build consensus and awareness of the software industry's Strategic Requirements for Educational System Reform. The initiative has laid down requirements to be met by the whole educational system in Bulgaria. During 2012 version 1.0 of a document named “Strategic Requirements by the Software Industry for Educational System Reform”7 was prepared, consisting of 40 recommendations targeting universities, the Bulgarian Ministry of Education, Youth and Science and other decision making bodies. The document has subsequently been widely discussed in the country. A new approach to the educational system in Bulgaria was applied – the requirements of the industry to the education were put as important starting point for planning the educational programmes. The need of professional institutes for continuing training was also revealed. Four proposals for procedure BG051 PO001-3-1-07 “Updating of university curricula in accordance with the labour market” were presented and two of them were approved for funding.

CIO Club is a network of 50 ICT managers from different sectors like state administration, finances, telecommunications, manufacturing, trade, etc. Their common goal is to enhance the efficiency of ICT use in their work. The club is a focal point for professionals who realize the importance of IT for improvement of the effectiveness and competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy. The CIO Club provides opportunities for exchange of experience and best practices, as well as possibility for coordinating the efforts of highly competent professionals and managers.8 For more than 5 years the club has run an intensive monthly program for CIOs and business leaders from sectors other than the ICT sector itself, with topics like strategic business management, digital transformation, IT and enterprise architectures, e-services and administration, information security and business resilience, managing supply chains and networked business, etc.

The Bulgarian Centre of Women in Technology strives to bring together stakeholders from business, government, academia and non-governmental organizations, giving them the opportunity to work for increasing the share of women involved in ICT, as well as their participation in the development of technological and engineering products. Bulgarian Centre of Women in Technology cooperates in the implementation of regional innovative projects and stimulates research collaboration, exchange of good practices and resource mobilization in the ICT sector. The activities of the Centre include: creating and developing a professional network in science and technology; organizing trainings, conferences and conducting researches; development and dissemination of best practices among the members of the Centre; collaborating with industry organizations, government authorities and other associations in Bulgaria and across Europe, for the modernn

7 See www.basscom.org/requirements.aspx

8 http://club.cio.bg/

http://www.basscom.org/requirements.aspx

http://club.cio.bg/


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economic development; engaged in projects and initiatives related with women, science and technology.9 The Club of Women Entrepreneurs and Managers in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Centre of Women in Technology are both working for building capacity, promoting entrepreneurship and science among women and creating the new generation of women leaders. The training program includes several Webinar sessions - Entrepreneurs series, Entrepregirl: The Beginning, Entrepregirl: The Team, etc., and various on-site workshops and panels with successful digital entrepreneurs (more than 30, established or in start-up phase).

Global initiatives in which Bulgaria takes part include:

NOVATechCom National competition: Business plan competition for Central and Eastern Europe, part of the worldwide competition IBTEC (Intel Berkeley Technology Entrepreneurship Challenge) sponsored by technology giant Intel. The competition aims to give students, alumni and local entrepreneurs the opportunity to work together to turn innovative ideas into successful businesses in the technology field.

Webit CEE Digital Summit, an annual event connecting the Digital Marketing Industry and the Start-up Ecosystem from Central and Eastern Europe.

AIESEC Bulgaria, part of the global youth organisation that develops leadership capabilities through their internal leadership programmes and engages students and graduates in international student exchange and internship programs for profit and non-profit organisations.10

Bulgaria is hosting the second Regional Excellence Centre for Software Process Improvement (SPI) for South-Eastern Europe. This initiative was created as a result of an international public-private partnership between the European Software Institute in Bilbao, Spain, the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BASSCOM). Its mission is to raise the competitiveness of the ICT industry and the IT intensive sectors in South-Eastern Europe.

3.2 Initiatives within the established education system

Recent attempts to bring together education providers (universities) and employers for the purpose of modernising higher education curricula in the ICT field have included:

A project about creation and implementation of a Sustainable Model for Updating Curricula has been launched, with the goal to boost quality of education in informatics and ICT in the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Plovdiv University, guided by the EU's strategy for growth 2020 and the requirements of the labour market. The initiative is implemented by Plovdiv University, Bulgaria (beneficiary) and BASSCOM (partner). The overall objective is to create a direct link between management and faculty councils of universities, e.g. the Plovdiv University by its Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics and management of branch labour organizations, large enterprises and key experts, e.g. BASCOM in order to redefine and update curricula in higher education. Thus the social order of business for new professionals will be translated into the language of education. European Software Institute Centre Eastern Europe (ESI CEE) provides expert support to the project.11

Training of specialists in information technology in the knowledge economy (NBU), a project with the overall objective to synchronize the preparation of ICT specialists with the demand for new type of personnel in the knowledge economy. The specific objective of the project is to modernize the curricula of the Bachelor and Master programs at the Department of

9 http://www.bgwomeninict.org/%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F+%D0%B8+%D1%86%D0%B5%D0%

BB%D0%B8+/1/MlW-gRWHIlSHI9OrI1KHchSrcNKncJafI9OjIRePUtKrkZaLQhKLkpK7gx 10

http://aiesec.bg/en/ 11

http://basscom.org/

http://www.bgwomeninict.org/%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F+%D0%B8+%D1%86%D0%B5%D0%25%20BB%D0%B8+/1/MlW-gRWHIlSHI9OrI1KHchSrcNKncJafI9OjIRePUtKrkZaLQhKLkpK7gx

http://www.bgwomeninict.org/%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F+%D0%B8+%D1%86%D0%B5%D0%25%20BB%D0%B8+/1/MlW-gRWHIlSHI9OrI1KHchSrcNKncJafI9OjIRePUtKrkZaLQhKLkpK7gx

http://aiesec.bg/en/

http://basscom.org/


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Informatics at New Bulgarian University (NBU) in order to align them with the requirements of the global economy and the needs of the IT sector. The changes are based on preliminary analysis of the profile of the ICT sector in the country, the requirements of employers for IT professionals and on the experience of leading universities. Furthermore the project aims to create conditions for work in an environment similar to real-world conditions – a prerequisite for easy adaptation in the transition from university to company environment.

Software Engineering Management Program (SEMP), a long term initiative started in 2010 and currently implemented by ESI CEE in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University (USA) and six leading Bulgarian Universities12. Strong support comes from the ICT industry trhrough the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BASSCOM) and the Bulgarian ICT Cluster. The SEMP program aims at the modernization of ICT higher education with the goal to equip ICT savvy professionals with business and management skills, thereby strengthening the management capacity of the Bulgarian ICT industry and increasing companies’ ability to work on complex programmes. To this end, ICT higher education is overhauled by adding contemporary content to existing training courses on software engineering and IT services management. SEMP has a special focus on modern training methods and style (student centric), with the ultimate goal to make students, professors, and future employees in the ICT sector exploit their full potential, thereby contributing powerfully to increased ICT competitiveness of the Bulgaria economy.13 The program is developing strong management and leadership skills among master students in ICT programs.

An example of initiatives for commercialisation of research results from universities includes the Centre of Information Society Technologies (CIST), an interdisciplinary research and training body of Sofia University. The main objective of the Centre is to create and establish fruitful co-operation between the University and SMEs, NGOs, public administration etc., motivated by the challenge to support the development, introduction and wide use of Information Society Technologies.

3.3 Initiatives by entrepreneurs and non-governmental organisations

Start It Smart is non-governmental organization, the goals of which are to support social integration and personal realization in the field of entrepreneurship; developing and promoting the ideas of young people in entrepreneurship; establishing contacts between young people in the country and abroad; and promoting the development of their entrepreneurial spirit. Major iinitiatives of relevance to the e-leadership issue include:

3Challege – a mentor-led entrepreneurship tournament for innovative business ideas. The purpose of the competition is to show how one idea can evolve within 6 months from just an idea to a sustainable and working business. The competition is divided by 3 stages – Idea, Seed and Grow. They are one-day-events that are held 3 months from one another.

Pre-Accelerator – a new initiative started in 2014, consisting of an intensive 10-week early incubation, training and mentorship programme for first-time entrepreneurs. It promises to provide all knowledge and skills necessary to make a start-up ready for early product launch, joining an accelerator, or finding initial investment.

aSISting – Start It Smart's consultancy centre, offering nascent entrepreneurs all the business knowledge they need in order to develop their start-up, through consultancy and personal mentorship.

12

Sofia University, Technical University of Sofia, New Bulgarian University and American University in Bulgaria, Varna Free University, University of Ruse and the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

13 http://semp.esicenter.bg/


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Start It Smart seeks to contribute to building e-leadership skills among potential and just-starting entrepreneurs. The vast majority of the supported business ideas are heavily reliant on ICT in their initiatives, and achieved further development and support from VC-based initiatives. First successful exits are in progress.

Junior Achievement Bulgaria – part of the Junior Achievement Worldwide, the world’s self-declared "oldest, largest and fastest-growing not-for-profit organisation for economic education". JA Bulgaria seeks to educate and inspire young Bulgarians to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives. It aims to prepare them to succeed in a global economy. Key initiatives of JA Bulgaria include:

Manager for a Day – designed to provide high-school and university students with the opportunity to experience the personal and academic demands of daily business operations.

Smart Start – a student conference organized for the first time in 2010 as part of the "Manager for a Day" initiative. The conference aims at encouraging the entrepreneurial attitude in university students, by teaching them the personal values of self-promotion, leadership, and self-reliance.

Banks in Action National Competition – a competition based on Junior Achievement’s programme Banks in Action which teaches students aged 16 to 19 the principles of banking and bank management.

Virtual Enterprise National Competition – an online competition which gives youngsters between 15 and 19 the opportunity to test their business skills.

Youth Business Forum “Rising Stars” – held for the first time in 2009 and gathered at one place more than 300 high-school and university students, business representatives, representatives of state institutions, diplomats.

Innovation Camps – a new educational approach, developed by JA-YE Europe, that nurtures entrepreneurship by motivating young people to be inventive and take risks in an interactive way and a learning-by-doing experience.

Juniors in Action – an educational competition for students grades 1 to 4. The main goal of the event is to provoke the kids’ ideas about the way certain entrepreneurial professions are performed.

Global Entrepreneurship Week – a worldwide initiative of Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Make Your Mark. The official host of the Global Entrepreneurship Week for Bulgaria is Junior Achievement Bulgaria.

Social Innovation Relay – in partnership with HP, Junior Achievement has developed the Social Innovation Relay to encourage students aged 15-18 to develop concepts that are socially innovative and could have a significant positive social impact.

Intel Business Challenge Europe – a competition for innovative products, smart technologies and interactive web & mobile applications.

Financial Innovation Camp – the most significant event in the calendar of the financial literacy and bank management program of JA and Citibank Bulgaria.14

Bulgarian Young Leaders Program (BYLP) – a programme sponsored by ABF (America for Bulgaria Foundation) aims to identify Bulgarian students of exceptional calibre as well as promising civil service professionals and educators and provide them with unique entrepreneurship and leadership training. ABF believes that the Bulgarian Young Leaders Program will not only train individuals to become catalysts for Bulgaria’s continuous civil society development and economic

14

http://bulgaria.ja-ye.eu/pls/apex31mb/f?p=17000:1001:3932180112886984

http://bulgaria.ja-ye.eu/pls/apex31mb/f?p=17000:1001:3932180112886984


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growth, but that it will also increase mutual understanding and ongoing collaboration between young and aspiring leaders worldwide. The BYLP incorporates four major components:

Summer Entrepreneurship Program (SEP);

Principals' Training Program (PTP);

Junior Justice Professionals Training Program (JJPTP);

Educational Leaders' Training Program (ELTP).

More than 2/3 of the teams and startup ideas developed during the courses are ICT based, and practically all are digitally enabled. A significant part of the mentors are successful digital entrepreneurs or ICT field investors/VCs.

3.4 e-Leadership training in the context of SME and entrepreneurship support

There are few public initiatives for fostering digital entrepreneurship, one example being the start-up accelerator programmes Eleven and LAUNCHub, two seed funds supporting the most promising entrepreneurs and digital start-ups in Bulgaria and South & Eastern Europe, respectively. Funding for the entrepreneurship acceleration and seed financing instrument comes mainly from the European Investment Fund (EIF) through the Joint European Resources for Micro to Medium Enterprises (JEREMIE) Initiative, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, the state budget and the European Investment Fund, respectively. Under a recent new agreement with the EIF under the JEREMIE initiative, financial intermediaries will offer financing at preferential conditions to SMEs across Bulgaria looking to start up or expand their business. Through mentor-led programmes, LAUNCHub and Eleven invest in start-up companies mainly from the ICT sector, and are engaged in development of entrepreneurial ecosystems at local level.

Skills in e-leadership and digital entrepreneurship are also being provided in the context of the activities of ICT-centred technology and business parks, such as:

Sofia Tech Park – The first science and technology park in Bulgaria. Its objectives include: (i) Strengthening the competitiveness of science and entrepreneurship in Bulgaria by improving the exchange of knowledge between academia and the business community. (ii) Acting as a platform for the development of start-up companies and innovative ideas and catalyze the process of commercialization of research, through partnerships with private and public clients. The Tech Park is cooperating closely with leading universities, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), other business clusters, large international companies, Sofia Municipality, MES, MLSP, NGOs and others. Sofia Tech Park is a €50 million that is expected to lead to the creation of Bulgaria’s first eco-system for supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. Commercialization of new technologies, products and services is a key part of its strategy.

High-Technology Business Incubator Varna: This association provides support and stimulates the regional hi-tech economy development.

Bulgarian ICT Cluster: A cluster initiative that supports and encourages creation and development of clusters in the field of ICT in Bulgaria. The Cluster was established in 2005 as a platform for effective dialogue and cooperation between the ICT businesses and public administration. The founders came from the core group for developing a national ICT competitiveness strategy, with a very ambitious Action Plan. Main activities include: training and education in business skills; support for SMEs in the ICT sector in order to increase their competitiveness, for instance by boosting management skills; and encouraging and supporting dialogue between the public authorities, businesses , universities and research centres by

http://www.iie.org/Programs/Bulgarian-Young-Leaders-Program/SEP

http://www.iie.org/Programs/Bulgarian-Young-Leaders-Program/PTP

http://www.iie.org/Programs/Bulgarian-Young-Leaders-Program/JJPTP#Program Overview

http://www.iie.org/Programs/Bulgarian-Young-Leaders-Program/ELTP#Program-Overview


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applying the triple helix model 15. The Bulgarian ICT cluster promotes e-leadership as a tool for increased competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy.

15

http://www.ictcluster.bg/bg/%D0%B7%D0%B0-%D0%B8%D0%BA%D1%82-%D0%BA%D0%BB%D1%8A%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80/



Country Report: Bulgaria - Assessment of policies and stakeholder initiatives on development of skills in e-leadership and digital entrepreneurship

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4 Assessment of policies and stakeholder initiatives on development of skills in e-leadership and digital entrepreneurship

Exhibit 1: High-level assessment of policies and stakeholder initiatives on development of skills in e-leadership and digital entrepreneurship

No / Type Title of policy / initiative Main stakeholder(s)

Stakeholders from: Assessment:

Go

vern

men

t

Bu

sin

ess

Un

ion

s/ N

GO

s

Edu

cati

on

MSP

fit

(0

-2)

Targ

et f

it (

0-2

)

Po

licy

fit

(0-2

)

Sco

pe

/

Co

nti

nu

ity

(0-2

)

Mat

uri

ty (

0-2

)

Policy 1 OP "Competitiveness and Innovation" 2014-2020

Government of Bulgaria --- --- --- --- --- 1 --- 2 0-1

Policy 2 National Strategy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises 2014-2020 - Small Business Act

Ministry of Economy and Energy

--- --- --- --- --- 1 --- 1 1

Policy 3 Science and OP "Education for Smart Growth" 2014 – 2020

Government of Bulgaria --- --- --- --- --- 1 --- 2 0-1

Policy 4 National Development Programme Bulgaria 2020

Government of Bulgaria --- --- --- --- --- 1 --- 2 2

Policy 5 Digital National Alliance (DNA) in Bulgaria

Multiple-stakeholder initiative; non-profit body to be set up later in 2014

--- --- --- --- --- 1 --- 1 0

Initiative 1 IT Leaders Academy Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Sofia University, Musala Soft (Company)

1 2 0 0-1 1

Initiative 2 CIO Club Membership organisation (CIOs) 0-1 1 0 1 2

Initiative 3 Bulgarian Centre of Women in Technology

Membership organisation 2 0-1 1 1 2

Initiative 4 Training of specialists in information technology in the knowledge economy

New Bulgarian University, ESI CEE, XS Software, Haemmimont Games 2 1 1 1 1

Initiative 5 Software Engineering Management Program (SEMP) [2011-]

ESI CEE (European Software Institute)

2 2 1 1 1

Country Report: Bulgaria - Assessment of policies and stakeholder initiatives on development of skills in e-leadership and digital entrepreneurship

15 / 23

No / Type Title of policy / initiative Main stakeholder(s)

Stakeholders from: Assessment:

Go

vern

men

t

Bu

sin

ess

Un

ion

s/ N

GO

s

Edu

cati

on

MSP

fit

(0

-2)

Targ

et f

it (

0-2

)

Po

licy

fit

(0-2

)

Sco

pe

/

Co

nti

nu

ity

(0-2

)

Mat

uri

ty (

0-2

)

Initiative 6 Start It Smart Industry representatives, Sofia University, VUZF University, BASSCOM, ESI CEE, betahaus, Ideas Factory, Eleven, LauncHub; Entrepreneur.bg, Forbes and more

2 1 1 2 1

Initiative 7 Junior Achievement Bulgaria Ministry of Education, Youth and Science; Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism; Ministry of Culture; Ministry of Finance; Sofia Municipality, Network of the Bread Houses; Junior Achievement Alumni Business Club, Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Software Engineering department, and others

2 1 1-2 1 2

Initiative 8 Bulgarian Young Leaders Program (BYLP)

America for Bulgaria Foundation, Institute for International Education (IIE) 1 1-2 1 1 1

Initiative 9 Bulgarian ICT Cluster [2004-] Major companies from the ICT sector 2 0-1 2 2 1

Country Report: Bulgaria - Best practice policy and stakeholder initiatives

5 Best practice policy and stakeholder initiatives

From the policies and initiatives mentioned above, the following has been selected as candidate for best practice.

5.1 Software Engineering Management Programme (SEMP)16

Software Engineering Management Programme (SEMP) is implemented by ESI, the European Software Institute in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute (SEI-CMU), Sofia University, Technical University of Sofia, New Bulgarian University and American University in Bulgaria, as well as Varna Free University, University of Ruse and the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, with the support of the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BASSCOM) and Bulgarian ICT Cluster. It has been co-funded by USAID and America for Bulgaria Foundation. The SEMP content is designed to prepare students to manage within the increasingly technologically enabled world of global business interdependency. The program combines three important elements in software development and IT management: It means that the managers must be well schooled to work in organizations that take on new technologies as they become available. Managers must be able to determine what competencies to build and maintain in-house and what is best outsourced. Status: Capacity for delivery of 17 academic courses, compatible with SEI-CMU and CMU-SCS, is built. Seven of the courses were used in the regular academic education of Bulgarian universities in 2012-2013 and another ten in academic 2013/2014. More than 600 students per year follow SEMP courses, some courses are in mixed format with industry representatives (more than 80 per year). Successful students receive professional certificates in addition to the academic credits, and the practicum is related to real industry defined problems and projects. SEMP courses and certificates are valued higher by the employers in the field.

5.2 IT-Leaders Academy

The IT-Leaders Academy is a joint initiative of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (FMI) at Sofia University and Musala Soft, supported by "FMI Society" foundation. The Academy is series of practical, business and science oriented lectures and discussions held by leading IT experts from Bulgarian and multinational companies. The Academy gives the FMI students the opportunity to hear the secrets of IT from those who create its future. The vision about the present and future of IT is shared by its very own creators, evangelists, pioneers and leading analyzers. The acquired knowledge gives additional advantage to the attendees in making successful business or scientific carrier.17

16

http://semp.esicenter.bg/ 17

http://fmisociety.org/ITLeadersAcademy/

http://fmisociety.org/ITLeadersAcademy/

Country Report: Bulgaria - Methodology

17 / 23

Methodology

European e-Leadership Scoreboard

The scoreboard attempts to offer an approach to monitoring and assessing issues related to e-leadership skills development, such as: education offers, workforce potential, exploitation opportunities, and enabling policies or other driving mechanisms. It compares at Member State level the e-leadership “performance” of EU28 Member states across several building blocks, thereby allowing for comparisons on relative strengths and weaknesses of e-leadership ecosystems between countries, with the major goal of informing and enabling policy discussions at national and EU level.

The e-leadership scoreboard is an evolving model to be further refined through input from academic / experts debates and feedback from other interested parties. It comprises a series of indicators using data from both primary and secondary sources. It is based on a straightforward yet comprehensive framework for measuring determinants of demand and supply for e-leadership skills in each country. Conceptually, the e-leadership scoreboard comprises four levels, 28 indicators; 8 building blocks; 4 dimensions, which can be aggregated to receive an overall e -leadership Index (eLI).

The overall e-leadership performance in each of the country has been summarized into a scoreboard, and further on into a composite indicator (e-leadership index). These raised a number of challenges related to the quality of the data selected and to their combination into a single indicator. A number of steps were taken to assure the quality of the data and the reliability of the e-leadership index. The steps followed are explained in more details below:

Step 1: Identifying and addressing outliers

Mean and standard deviations have been calculated for all indicators among all countries included in the scoreboard. Outliers have been identified as the absolute z-values larger than 3. Relative to the case, the values distorting the variable distribution (positive/negative outliers) have been replaced by maximum/minimum values observed in each single indicator. Beforehand, some indicators have been standardized using population data in order to avoid any country-size effects in the dataset sample.

Step 2: Setting reference year

A reference year is set depending on the data availability of each indicator for each of the countries considered. Overall, for most of the indicators the reference year is lagging 1-3 years behind the timing the e-leadership scoreboard refers to. In this case, the reference year for most of the indicators of the 2014 e-leadership scoreboard will be lying between years 2011 to 2013.

Step 3: Treatment of missing data

When dealing with the missing values, we distinguish among two different cases which influence data imputation procedure:

Missing at random: If data is not available for a year-in-between, we replace data using the value for the previous year / latest year available.

Missing completely: For countries which data is completely missing for the entire time series, no imputation is effort carried out. In these cases the indicator is left empty, marked as not available (n/a), and not considered in the calculation of the county scores. Step 4: Min-max data normalization


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Table 1: e-Leadership scoreboard indicators

Indicator Definition and scopeLatest data

availableSource

Number of Master's or Exec Ed level

programmes with a mix of ICT and

business

Definition: combination programmes that have as target group specialist or junior / middle management are professional-

oriented and have a mix of business and IT. Either at regular consecutive MSc level, or are aimed at specialist subjects only (e.g.

new media, marketing, logistics, communications, e-health etc.

Measure: per 100,000 population aged 20-59

2013 empirica


Definition: E-leadership candidate programmes - programmes that are clearly aimed at experienced professionals with leadership

roles, which usually already expect a high level of IT skills and significant business experience.

Measure: per 100,000 of workforce with potential e-leadership skills

2014 empirica

Enterprises that provided training to

ICT/IT specialists to develop/upgrade

their ICT skills

Definition: Enterprises who provided training to develop/upgrade ICT skills of their personnel: for ICT/IT specialists (NACE Rev. 2).

Measure: % of enterprises2012

Eurostat Information society statistics

Code: isoc_ske_ittn2

Quality of management schoolsDefinition: In your country, how would you assess the quality of business schools

Measure: [1 = extremely poor—among the worst in the world; 7 = excellent—among the 2012–13 weighted average2013 World Economic Forum, Executive Opinion Survey

Line managersDefinition: ISCO-08 (1211, 1213,1219, 1221, 1222, 1223)

Measure: as % of total workforce2013 LFS

ICT managers, architects and analystsDefinition: ISCO-08 (1330, 2421, 2511)


e-Leadership pipeline 1:ICT

practitioners - professional level

Definition:ISCO-08 (2152, 2153, 5356, 2434, 5212, 2513, 2514, 2519, 2512, 2522, 2523, 2529)


e-Leadership pipeline 2-1: ICT

graduates

Definition:Count of first degrees in ISCED 5A and first qualifications in 5B. The number of students entering the labour force in a

given year does not equal but is approximated by this number of graduates, as many will go on to second or further degrees

(master, PhD).

Measure: per 1,000 population aged 20-24

2012Eusostat

Code: [educ_grad5]

e-Leadership pipeline 2-2: Business

administration graduates

Definition: Count of first degrees in ISCED 5A and first qualifications in 5B in business and administration.

Measure: per 1000 population aged 20-24 2012

Erurostat

Code: [educ_grad5]

High growth enterprises n ICT sector

Definition: High growth enterprises (growth by 10% or more) and related employment by NACE Rev. 2 sectors: Information and

communication (J).

Measure: Number of high growth enterprises measured in employment (growth by 10% or more)

2012Eurostat

Code: [bd_9pm_r2]

High growth enterprises in ICT

intensive sectors

Definition: High growth enterprises (growth by 10% or more) and related employment by NACE Rev. 2 sectors: Manufacture of

computer, electronic and optical products (C26), Manufacture of electrical equipment (C27), Manufacture of machinery and

equipment n.e.c. (C28), Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers (C29), Manufacture of other transport

equipment (C30), Professional, scientific and technical activities (M).

Measure: Number of high growth enterprises measured in employment (growth by 10% or more)

2012Eurostat

Code: [bd_9pm_r2]


Definition: Number of persons employed in the following NACE Rev. 2 sectors: Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical

products (C26), Information and communication (J).

Measure: as % of total employment

2011 Eruostat


Definition: Number of persons employed in the following NACE Rev. 2 sectors: Manufacture of electrical equipment (C27),

Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. (C28), Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers (C29),

Manufacture of other transport equipment (C30), Professional, scientific and technical activities (M).

Measure: as % of total employment

2011 Eruostat

Enterprises that employed ICT/IT

specialists

Definition: Enterprises that employed ICT/IT specialists (NACE Rev. 2)


Eurostat

Code: [isoc_ske_itspen2]


Definition: In your country, how widespread are well-developed and deep clusters (geographic concentrations of firms, suppliers,

producers of related specialized institutions in a particular field)?

Measure: [1 = nonexistent; 7 = widespread in many fields] | 2012–13 weighted average

2013 World Economic Forum, Executive Opinion Survey

Capacity for innovationDefinition:In your country, to what extent do companies have the capacity to innovate?

Measure: [1 = not at all; 7 = to a great extent] | 2013 World Economic Forum, Executive Opinion Survey

Firm-level technology absorption Definition: In your country, to what extent do businesses adopt new technology?

Measure: [1 = not at all; 7 = adopt extensively] | 2012–13 weighted average2013 World Economic Forum, Executive Opinion Survey

Impact of ICT on new services and

products

Definition: To what extent are ICTs creating new business models, services and products in your country?

Measure: [1 = not at all; 7 = a significant extent] | 2011–2012 weighted average2012 World Economic Forum, Executive Opinion Survey

Availability of latest technologiesDefinition: In your country, to what extent are the latest technologies available?

Measure: [1 = not available at all; 7 = widely available] | 2012–13 weighted averageAvailability of latest technologies2013 World Economic Forum, Executive Opinion Survey

Enterprises using social networksDefinition: Use social networks (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Xing, Viadeo, Yammer, etc.)


Eurostat

Code: [isoc_cismt]

Enterprises using RFID technologiesDefinition: Enterprises using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies


Eurostat

Code: [isoc_ci_cd_en2]

ICT Practitioner Skills

Definition: Level of national policy and stakeholder activity on ICT Practitioner Skills

Measure: 1 - 5 (1 = "No relevant policy or stake-holder activities of significant scope and size have been identified."; 5 = "A master

strategy is in place.)

2013 empirica

e-Leadership e-Leadership education

and training

Definition: Level of national policy and stakeholder activity on e-Leadership education and training



2014 empirica


Definition: Level of national policy and stakeholder activity on Skills for digital entrepreneurship



2014 empirica

National policy and stakeholder initiatives

e-leadership skilling

e-leadership skilled professionals

e-leadership pipeline

Business environment

Innovation opportunities

Technology trends


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Step 4: Calculating re-scaled scores

Min-max normalisation method was adopted to adjust for differences in terms of units of measurement and ranges of variation. All 28 variables have been normalised into the [0-10] range, with higher scores representing better performance for the indicators.

The following normalisation formula has been applied:

Where:

Xi = country score

XMin = sample minimum

XMax = sample maximum

Xi, 0 to 10 = the data point i normalized between 0 and 10

Step 5: Calculating composite e-leadership index

The e-leadership Index for each country is calculated as a weighted average of the rescaled scores for every indicator included in the scoreboard. The weighting approach used distributes different weights to each of the building blocks, based on the results obtained from a regression analysis which assesses relationships between each building block indicators’ (independent variable) and estimated number of e-leaders for each 28 Member States (dependent variable). The rationale behind this analysis is to explore and assess relationships between indicators’ performance and potential presence of e-Leaders.

Identification of policies and stakeholder initiatives on e-leadership skills

To gather information on and evaluate the current e-leadership skills policy and initiative landscape and try to assess the impact of relevant policies at EU and national level, a significant amount of information needed to be systematically collected. The challenge has not only been that the information owners are heterogeneous (including actors in the public sector, the private sector, e.g. the IT industry, and educational organisations), but also the geographic scope of the exercise, as the study focused on activities in all 28 Member States (and major regions, if relevant). The collected information included, in particular, factual information about ongoing and completed activities at the European level and in EU Member States (e.g. information about the types of initiatives, the stakeholders involved and the governance model applied), as well as views of stakeholders and experts that have been involved in such activities regarding the outcome of these activities.

Our activities consisted mainly of:

a survey of relevant national policies in the e-leadership skills domain, and

a survey of initiatives and multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) at Member State level in this domain, with the focus as before.

The data was collected with the support, where found appropriate, of a network of national correspondents covering all 28 Member States of the EU.

Information gathering using templates where appropriate is divided into three steps.

In a first step it focused on the general policy context in the different countries. The aim has been to give a brief overview of the overall structure of the policy system and programmes and the key stakeholders active in this area. In this section, national correspondents were guided to refer to and


20 / 23

mention the policy programmes of relevance for e-leadership skills and to provide an overview of how these are embedded and integrated in the overall policy context.

The work built on already existing literature and studies available from previous projects, statistical sources and the proposers’ expertise and experiences gained in the precursor and previous projects and service contracts. The analysis was enhanced by most recent literature and studies.

In a second step, more in-depth data has been gathered on the major policies and initiatives targeting creation of e-skills and e-leadership skills which had been identified in the previous step. The template was brief, with the following points to be addressed:

Name of policy, programme, initiative

Overall objectives

Specific objectives

Targets

Main characteristics

Policy evaluation: Monitoring and measurement system in place

Results achieved (versus objectives and targets)

The output of this activity included descriptions of the respective policies and initiatives on the basis of a standardised template, consisting of about 5 pages of text in tabular format and a preliminary assessment with regard to some benchmarking indicators (see below for a description of the benchmarking approach).

At an early stage of the project (Phase I) empirica developed a data gathering guide and template for use by national correspondents to gather the relevant information. This was followed by contacting national correspondents and providing them with a Guide / Toolkit containing background information, guidelines and instructions for how to conduct the research, and the data capture instruments (description templates and questionnaires, as applicable). National correspondents in each Member State were asked to identify key actors and experts in the fields of e-skills and e-leadership skills and to interview them, as well as to undertake desk research.

In order to avoid work duplication and to achieve best value for money, national correspondents were supplied with pre-filled data templates wherever available based on the instruments used for precursor studies, which they were then asked to validate, update and complement as appropriate.

Benchmarking and assessment of policies and stakeholder initiatives on e-leadership skills

Indices for Member States' level of policy activity

National policy activity was explored through an investigation on national policy and stakeholder initiatives that have a bearing on skills development in the e-leadership and digital entrepreneurship area. Findings are summarised in the form of two indices for policies & initiatives addressing e-leadership skills of SMEs and skills for digital entrepreneurship, respectively. Index values have not been mechanistically derived using checklists but rather through a qualitative assessment of the significance and importance of each policy and activity.


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Index values are to be interpreted as follows:

Table 2: Scoring format for assessment of national policy and stakeholder activities

Score

National policy and stakeholder initiatives on e-Leadership Skills for

SMEs

National policy and stakeholder initiatives on Skills for Digital

Entrepreneurship

No relevant policy or stakeholder activities of significant scope and size have been identified. Policy debate is non-existent or sketchy.

No relevant policy or stakeholder activities of significant scope and size have been identified. Policy debate is non-existent or sketchy.

There are little policy or stakeholder activities which explicitly deal with e-leadership skills, but related topics have entered the policy debate. Measures are in place, e.g. training of SMEs in strategic use of ICT for innovation. Education providers show clear signs of awareness.

There are little policy or stakeholder activities which explicitly deal with skills for digital entrepreneurship, but related topics have entered the policy debate, e.g. in the context of efforts to boost entrepreneurial skills and attitudes. Education providers show clear signs of awareness.

Some major policy and stakeholder activities, but coordination/integration, scope and sustainability are limited. Policy debate is well developed but still limited to insiders rather than the main target groups. Education providers offer relevant courses/programmes.

Some major policy and stakeholder activities, but coordination/integration, scope and sustainability are limited. Policy debate is well developed but still limited to insiders rather than the main target groups. Education providers offer relevant courses/programmes.

Training for e-leadership is fully embedded in policy strategies (e.g. e-skills or SME strategies) and action plans are in place. The policy debate is well developed and involves all key target groups. SME demand for training courses is met by supply. Some shortcomings e.g. in terms of sustainability, monitoring, scalability, coverage.

Training for digital entrepreneurship is fully embedded in policy strategies on entrepreneur-ship, and action plans are in place. The policy debate is well developed and involves all key target groups. Entrepreneur demand for training courses is met by supply. Some shortcomings e.g. in terms of sustainability, monitoring, scalability, coverage.

A master strategy is in place and there are not only various relevant policies and stakeholder initiatives, but these are also well integrated at national and sectoral level. Buy-in from all relevant stakeholders has been obtained.

A master strategy is in place and there are not only various relevant policies and stakeholder initiatives, but these are also well integrated at national and sectoral level. Buy-in from all relevant stakeholders has been obtained.

Preliminary results, as reproduced in the present document, will be validated through a major online survey using a sample of >300 stakeholder representatives and experts covering all 28 EU Member States.

Methodology for Benchmarking policies and initiatives

For identification of existing policies and initiatives that are of relevance to the e-leadership issue we have made use of a SWOT analysis approach (strengths – weaknesses – opportunities – threats). A SWOT analysis combines the assessment of external developments that cannot be directly influenced by the organisation in focus (e.g. the overall market development) with an analysis of its internal specific situation (e.g. its capabilities, product quality and price, market position). Factors specific to the firm are classified as strengths (S) or weaknesses (W), depending on how the situation is in comparison to key competitors with regard to the selected evaluation criteria. External developments (e.g. market trends) are then matched with the organisation's specific strengths and weaknesses, which leads to conclusions on opportunities (O) or threats (T). A SWOT analysis helps organisations allocating their resources and capabilities to the competitive environment in which they operate. As such, the instrument is often used for (longer-term) strategy formulation.


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The unit of observation in the present study is policies and stakeholder initiatives. The methodology for benchmarking these is described below. The analysis of strengths and weaknesses was conducted in a multi-step process for which various sets of criteria are being applied. In order to arrive at a shortlist of candidates from the initial total set of up-and-running policies and stakeholder initiatives identified by the National Correspondents, an evaluation scheme based on the following criteria was used:

Table 3: Criteria for selecting outstanding policies and stakeholder initiatives for shortlisting

Selection criteria Evaluation scheme

Partnership

approach of the

policy or

initiative

(“MSP fit”)

To what extent does the policy or initiative make use of a "multi-stakeholder partner-

ship" approach?

Each case is given a score on a scale of 3 values:

HIGH (2) The policy or stakeholder initiative fully complies with the MSP definition, i.e. it

engages all main stakeholders that are of relevance for a certain e-leadership

skills related issue. The partnership involves all or most of the following:

government (at national, regional and/or local level), business, education

providers, social partners and possibly the civic sector (e.g. NGOs).

MEDIUM (1) The policy or stakeholder initiative has some involvement of several partners

from the government, business, social partners and/or education sector, but not

all main stakeholders which are of relevance for a certain e-skills related issue

are engaged.

LOW (0) The policy or stakeholder initiative is initiated and operated mainly by one / only

a few partners from only one, at most two sectors (government, business, social

partners, education) and it appears that some key stakeholders who are of

relevance for the e-skills related issue in question are not involved.

Target and

approach of the

policy or

initiative

(“Target fit”)

To what extent does the policy or stakeholder initiative target skills development in the

e-leadership and digital entrepreneurship area18

?


HIGH (2) The policy or stakeholder initiative has a clear focus on skills development in the e-leadership and/or digital entrepreneurship area

MEDIUM (1) The policy or stakeholder initiative addresses skills development in the e-leadership and/or digital entrepreneurship area, but its main focus is more traditional (e.g. on general leadership or entrepreneurship skills).

LOW (0) The policy or stakeholder initiative deals with “digital literacy” of the

general population or subgroups hereof (e.g. unemployed, disabled

people), but does not address ICT practitioner skills and/or e-Leadership

skills.

Embeddedness in

the general policy

context

("Policy fit”)

To what extent is the policy or stakeholder initiative embedded in a broader policy

context?


HIGH (2) The policy or stakeholder initiative is strongly embedded in a relevant

national or regional policy context (such as a skills strategy or an

innovation action plan).

18

Rather than entrepreneurship skills in general, or leadership skills in general


23 / 23

Selection criteria Evaluation scheme

MEDIUM (1) There are some links of the policy or stakeholder initiative to general

skills and innovation related policy programmes.

LOW (0) The policy or stakeholder initiative is poorly embedded, i.e. links to

general skills and innovation related policy programmes are very limited.

It is likely to remain a one-off activity of limited duration.

Size and scope of

the policy or

initiative

("Scope and

continuity”)

Are the size and scope of the policy or stakeholder initiative sufficient to make it

relevant to national skills development in the e-leadership and digital entrepreneurship

field?

Each initiative is given a score on a scale of 3 values:

HIGH (2) The policy or stakeholder initiative has a size (in terms of budget,

number of stakeholders involved, target group reach, or similar) and

scope (e.g. sectors and occupations covered) which makes it highly

relevant to related developments in the whole country. Its duration is

not limited to a one-off project, but there is (planned to be) a continuity

of activities over many years.

MEDIUM (1) The policy or stakeholder initiative has a size and scope which means it is

of some relevance to related developments in the whole country. Its

duration may be limited to a one-off project, but its goals are continued

through other means.

LOW (0) Size and scope of the policy or stakeholder initiative are a too limited to

make it relevant to related developments in the whole country, or its

duration is limited to a one-off project without any continuation or

follow-on activities.

Level of

experience with

the policy or

initiative

("Maturity”)

Has the policy or stakeholder initiative been in operation for long enough to make it

possible to assess performance and to learn from its experience?


HIGH (2) The policy or stakeholder initiative has achieved a major part of its

operational goals already, i.e. it has been in operation for long enough to

allow for assessment.

MEDIUM (1) The policy or stakeholder initiative has commenced already but is at an

early stage of implementation.

LOW (0) The policy or stakeholder initiative is still at the planning stage, i.e. no

experience is available yet.