Through the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) workshop series, funded by the National Science Foundation, social scientists collaborated with entrepreneurship educators to bridge the gap between their areas of expertise. The resulting white papers provide research-based insights and classroom techniques for inclusive entrepreneurship educators. This ongoing series currently covers Teamwork, Motivation, Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Empathy.
“Central to entrepreneurship is the ability to recognize opportunities and create value, often rooted in empathetic understanding.”
—Daryl Cameron, Deborah Hoover, Scott Shrake
Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is an essential skill in entrepreneurship. It encompasses three primary processes: experience-sharing, compassion, and perspective-taking. These processes enable individuals to connect with others on a deeper level, fostering better relationships and more effective problem-solving. In the realm of entrepreneurship, empathy can significantly enhance customer understanding, team dynamics, and innovative thinking.
- Daryl Cameron, associate professor of Psychology, Sherwin Early Career Professor in the Rock Ethics Institute at Penn State University
- Deborah Hoover, chief executive officer at the Entrepreneurship Education Consortium
- Scott Shrake, associate vice president, Strategy; executive director of Entrepreneurship and Special Projects at Colorado State University
The Importance of Empathy in Entrepreneurship
Empathy plays a crucial role in entrepreneurship by helping entrepreneurs identify opportunities and create value. Successful entrepreneurs often cite moments of empathetic understanding as pivotal in recognizing a problem or pain point that led to a successful business idea. Empathy can drive entrepreneurs to design products and services that genuinely meet customer needs, foster stronger team relationships, and navigate challenges more effectively.
Empathy in entrepreneurship is not limited to customer interactions. It extends to all facets of business, including leadership, team building, and product development. For instance, understanding the emotional and practical challenges faced by team members can lead to better leadership and a more cohesive work environment. In product development, empathizing with users’ experiences ensures that solutions are user-centered and address real needs.
To equip student entrepreneurs with the empathy they need, educators can incorporate various strategies into their curriculum. Here are five effective ways to bring empathy into the classroom:
1. Showcase New Perspectives From Guest Speakers
Inviting guest speakers from diverse industries can provide students with firsthand insights into the role of empathy in entrepreneurship. As these speakers share their personal journeys, they can highlight how empathetic understanding shaped their business decisions and successes. Encourage students to ask questions and engage with the speakers to gain deeper insights.
For example, Muhammad Yunus pioneered the concept of providing small business loans to low-income individuals. He established Grameen Bank, a microfinance institution in Bangladesh, with the aim of developing an accessible financial system tailored to elevating millions from poverty.
2. Measure Empathy Through Assessments and Training Modules
Formal training sessions on empathy can help students understand its importance and develop their empathetic skills. At Purdue University, students take the DiSC® assessment, which measures empathy in leadership. Discussions can then explore how empathy is used in various entrepreneurial contexts, such as customer discovery, team management, and product development.
Incorporate this into the classroom by adding empathy assessments and training modules into the curriculum. Follow up with interactive discussions and exercises that allow students to practice empathy in different scenarios. “Clarify the context of what entrepreneurs care about, and then think about how different empathy facets might matter for that context,” write Cameron, Hoover, and Shrake.
3. Forge Empathy Through Mentorship and Role Playing
Mentoring programs can create strong, empathetic relationships between students and experienced entrepreneurs. These mentors model empathetic behavior, providing students with practical examples of empathy in action.
Students can also develop empathy through role-playing exercises, where they can take on different roles such as business owner, customer, or employee. “Ask groups to solve a problem from each of these perspectives,” write Cameron, Hoover, and Shrake. By using real-world scenarios and exploring the situation from multiple perspectives, students explore empathy as it plays out in a business context.
4. Create Opportunities for Engagement With Service-Learning Projects
Service-learning projects ask students to work with local businesses or community organizations to solve real-world challenges. These projects require students to engage with others empathetically, understanding their needs and co-creating solutions. This hands-on experience can be invaluable in teaching students how to apply empathy in practical settings. “Offering a concrete way to learn about other people and their challenges can help build empathy,” write Cameron, Hoover, and Shrake.
You can design service-learning projects that connect students with local businesses or nonprofits. Aim for projects that involve direct interaction with stakeholders, allowing students to practice empathy and problem-solving.
5. Train Students in Customer Discovery and Design Thinking Concepts
Customer discovery and design thinking are two methodologies that heavily rely on empathy. Customer discovery involves understanding the needs and pain points of potential customers through interviews and feedback. Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving that emphasizes empathy in understanding users’ experiences and creating innovative solutions.
To incorporate these methodologies, teach students the principles of customer discovery and design thinking, with attention to the role empathy plays in each. Incorporate projects that require students to conduct customer interviews, develop user personas, and create prototypes based on empathetic insights.
Empathy: A Vital Skill for Entrepreneurs
Empathy is a vital skill for entrepreneurs, enhancing their ability to understand and meet the needs of customers, build strong teams, and innovate effectively. Empathy-driven entrepreneurship not only benefits businesses but also contributes to the creation of solutions that address real-world problems and improve lives.
As entrepreneurship educators, it is crucial to recognize the multifaceted role of empathy and create learning environments that foster its development. By doing so, we can cultivate a new generation of entrepreneurs who are not only skilled in business but also deeply connected to the people they serve and the world they aim to improve.
Dig into the research and get more insights and classroom tools. Download the full white paper “Theoretical Perspectives on Empathy: Implications for Entrepreneurship Education Research and Practice.”
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under IUSE Grant No. 2220329.