International Council for Small Business

48^th World Conference, Belfast -June 2003

Adaptor-innovator theory and entrepreneurship development in South Africa

Kanes Rajah PhD Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship,

University of Greenwich Business School

Old Royal Naval College, Park Row, Greenwich, London SEIO 9LS

Tel: +44 (0)20 8331 9835 Fax: +44 (0)20 8331 9684

E-mail: K.K.Rajah@gre.ac.uk Web site: http://cfe.gre.ac.uk/

The Adaption-lnnovation theory defines and measures two styles of problem solving and decision making (rather than level). This is measured using Kirton's adaptor-innovator instrument (KAI) where a thirty two item inventory is scored, and results presented over a theoretical range of 23-160 (i.e. adaptor to innovator respectively) with a mean of 96. The total is calculated from three sub-scales. Studies carried out in several countries and across national cultures using 1000 subjects indicate that the observed range is 46-146 with a mean of 95, distribution being a normal curve. However, in countries such as India and Iran the norm group is much lower.

A study carried out in South Africa by Pottas, and reported in a 1991 book by Michael Kirton revealed that black South African university students studying for a degree in business studies measured close to 90 on the KAI scale. Upon reflection, in 2001, Kirton felt this study to be flawed, believing that the political climate of the time had unwittingly influenced the nature of the sample group.

The proposed paper will report on research carried out in 2002 by the author in South Africa to test the findings of the 1991 report. The main objective was to assess whether almost eight years after independence black South African students studying business and management programmes at a higher education institution in Cape Town would measure differently. The same instrument was used, and mean and standard deviation was calculated for the sample group. The results indicate almost identical findings to the earlier report, mean = 90.58. These results are discussed against the backdrop of results obtained for the teaching faculty. A significant conclusion reached is that the climate for change has not fully engaged the full spectrum of adaptors and innovators from the black student population in higher education. Alternatively, the higher education institutions are evolving gradually and that culture change will take a longer time frame to exert itself upon the young. This has important implications for entrepreneurship development within higher education. If job creation ill South Africa is to come from entrepreneurial activity, the higher education establishments may need to consider new ways of educating those who seek that route.