Impact of Entrepreneurial Skills on Employee Motivation: A Study on Marks and Spencer

AN INVESTIGATION TO ANALYZE THE
IMPACT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS
ON EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION. A STUDY ON
MARKS AND SPENCER.”

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................................3
Theoretical Background and Research Focus....................................................................................................................................3
Research Aim.....................................................................................................................................................................................3
Research Objectives...........................................................................................................................................................................3
Research Questions............................................................................................................................................................................3
CHAPTER 2- LITERATURE REVIEW.....................................................................................................................................................4
Theoretical Background.....................................................................................................................................................................4
Justification and Contextualization....................................................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 3- METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................................................................................8
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS...............................................................................................................................11
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION.....................................................................................................................................................................20
CHAPTER 6- CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.................................................................................................................22
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................................................22
Recommendation..............................................................................................................................................................................22
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................................................................24

CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION
Entrepreneurial skills can be defined as the ability of an entrepreneur to convert innovative ideas into action. Different
entrepreneurial skills can include innovation, risk taking, creativity, managing skills etc. These skills are considered to be important
and can significantly affect the overall motivation level of the employees within the workplace. Entrepreneurial skills can be applied
to different job roles and industries (Afolabi and et. al., 2017). These skills allow the right candidates to apply for a particular vacant
job at an organization. The various entrepreneurial skills also allow the employees to stay focused to their work and be productive.
When an employee has effective entrepreneurial skills, they are likely to come up with various innovative and new ideas about how a
problem should be approached.
This will lead the company to perform at a greater level and help the company in achieving its goals and objectives.
Organization chosen for this report is Marks and Spencer, a leading British retailer which was founded by Michael Marks and Thomas
Spencer in the year 1884. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom and operates in different geographical locations
across the world (Afsar and et. al., 2017). The company operates in different geographic locations across the world. This research is
based on how entrepreneurial skills can affect or motivate the employees. It explains the importance of different entrepreneurial skills
and their impact on employees.
Theoretical Background and Research Focus
Research Aim
“An investigation to analyze the impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation. A study on Marks and Spencer.”
Research Objectives
 To analyze the impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation.
 To identify benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills for employees at the workplace.
 To determine the challenges faced by employees due to lack of entrepreneurial skills.
Research Questions
 What is the impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation?
 What are the benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills for employees at the workplace?
 What are the challenges faced by employees due to lack of entrepreneurial skills?

CHAPTER 2- LITERATURE REVIEW
Theoretical Background
Theme 1- Impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation
As per the views of Elia and Margherita (2018) Employee motivation is important at a workplace as it allows an organization
to achieve its goals and objectives. If the workforce will not be motivated, the overall performance of the company will be affected.
Therefore, it can be said that it is very crucial for the management of an organization to implement measures and provide various
opportunities to the employees in order to maintain their level of motivation. A company can conduct training and development
sessions for the employees. This can help them in acquiring new entrepreneurial skills and performing effectively.
On the other side Hahn and et. al., (2020) argues that employees get an opportunity to manage their time and develop skills
like critical thinking, creativity and innovation. The performance of employees and motivation are inter related to each other. If the
employees are motivated, they will be committed to their respective jobs and put in efforts to complete the tasks assigned to them
within the given time frame. On the other side if the motivation level of the employees will not be good then this will create a negative
impact over the working and the efficiency of the employees.
For instance, Marks and Spencer offers various opportunities to its employees so that they can enhance their skills. This helps
them in increasing their levels of confidence and deliver results that are expected from them. Motivation serves to be one of the key
driving factors for employee performance at a workplace and can help in increasing the overall performance as well as the
productivity of the company on the whole.
In against to this Herdjiono and et. al., (2017) articulates that different entrepreneurial skills like time management skills,
strategic thinking, effective communication networking etc. lead to a greater satisfaction among employees. When employees are
motivated towards their work, they will be committed to completing the work that has been assigned to them. Not only this, their
positive motivation will lead the company to growth which is beneficial for the company.
In addition to this Ma, Gu and Liu (2017) stated that the various entrepreneurial skills can allow an employee to achieve their
personal goals and also facilitates their overall development. Once they reach their individual goals, they understand the relation
between putting efforts and obtaining desired results. This further motivates them to continue putting in efforts. Apart from this,
entrepreneurial skills also contribute to an improved overall efficiency of the employees. This is because their overall efficiency does
not solely depend on their qualifications. In order to obtain the desired results from the employees, Marks and Spencer ensures that its
employees are able to maintain a balance between the tasks assigned to them as well as their willingness to do the same. This has led
to an increase in the overall performance of the employees as well as an improvement in their overall efficiencies.
Theme 2- Benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills for employees at the workplace.
By referring to the work of Mamabolo, Kerrin and Kele (2017) there are many benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills for
employees within a workplace. They not only get a chance to interact with new people and build a network, but also develop creative
ideas. Developing entrepreneurial skills can teach employees how to work as part of teams and enhance their relationships with others.
Networking is considered to be one of the most important entrepreneurial skills that employees within a workplace are expected to
possess. An employee can register for different entrepreneurship programs that are conducted online.
In contrast to this Barba-Sánchez and Atienza-Sahuquillo (2017) employees have a responsibility of coming up with solutions
to different problems that can come up during their jobs. So, problem solving skills can be beneficial for them at this time and help

them in resolving any issues or concerns that are raised by the customers. Apart from this, entrepreneurial skills also benefit the
employees in terms of enhancing their overall efficiency as well as individual productivity levels. As an employee, it is important to
have excellent analytical skills as well as the business. Employees at Marks and Spencer are confident and comfortable in working
with each other.
On the other side Malik, Awan and Nisar (2020) criticized that the company has a workforce that is not only efficient, but also
committed towards achieving organizational goals and objectives. The employees are always prepared for any kind of uncertainties
and are also creative at the same time. The managers are experienced and able to identify any problems or risks that might be
associated with a particular project. This means that the employees possess good entrepreneurial skills and are also, engaged in their
respective jobs. Therefore, it can be said that there are numerous benefits of entrepreneurial skills for the employees as they not only
contribute to their professional careers, but also for personal growth.
By referring to the work of Sousa (2018) it is stated that respective company ensures that various opportunities are provided to
the employees so that they develop new skills and enhance their overall knowledge. Lastly, entrepreneurial skills also facilitate the
development of the organization on the whole. As a result, there is an increase in the overall profitability as well as productivity of the
company. Having a skilled staff can lead the company to gain a competitive advantage against competitors within the industry.
In addition to this Barba-Sánchez and Atienza-Sahuquillo (2018) argues that when the employees of the company will be
having proper and effective entrepreneurial skills at the work then this will keep the employees more motivated. The major reason for
this is that when the employees will not be working in proper and effective manner then this will create issues in the motivation and
interest of the employees within the company. thus, for this the most important thing for the employees is to have proper
entrepreneurial motivation. This will keep the employees motivated with the company and as a result of this the working and the
efficiency of the employees will increase. Also when the employees will be having proper working efficiency and the entrepreneurial
skills then this will increase the interest of the employees in the working of the company.
On the other side in against of this Agarwal, Gambardella and Olson (2016) argues that the major benefit of using and having
the entrepreneurial skill among the employees is that this will increase the efficiency of employees. The major reason for this is that
when the employees will be having proper knowledge and required skills then this will increase the overall working of the company.
thus, this will increase the interest of the employees within the company. also, another major benefit of the employees having proper
and effective entrepreneurial skill is that they can also assist in proper decision making by the top management. The major reason for
this is that when the employees will be having the proper and required level of skill then this will motivate the employees to provide
their best services for the company.
Theme 3- Various challenges which the employees face because of lack of entrepreneurial skills.
As per the views of this Chan and et.al., (2017) argued that the employees can also face a lot of challenges due to lack of
entrepreneurial skills, in terms of productivity and overall performance. For example, a lack of time management can cause too many
tasks on the schedule of the employee. This will lead to a lack of priority as well as procrastination. As a result, the employees will not
be able to complete the assigned tasks and submit them on time. Apart from this, there will also be a lack of time due to which
important projects will have to suffer. Also, if the employees are not comfortable in working with each other, they will not be able to
perform in the expected way. Also, there will be no sense of team performance among the employees within the workplace.
But in contrast to this Keerativutisest and Hanson (2017) stated that creativity is an important component within an
organization because it contributes to its overall growth. Also, employers today, look for employees who are creative, willing to share

new and innovative ideas. If an employee lacks creativity, they are likely to feel left out from the rest of the company. They will be
afraid of failing and not think proactively. Hence, if the employees will not be much creative then they will find it challenging to gain
entrepreneurial skills and this will demotivate the employees to work in proper and creative and innovative manner.
In addition to this 18 Challenges that Internal Communication Professionals Are Facing Today (2020) argues that the major
challenge which the employees faces due to lack of entrepreneurial skill is that if the employees will not be motivated then this will
distract the employees to work in poor condition. The major reason for this is that when the employees will not be having proper
entrepreneurial working then they will not be motivated to work in proper and effective manner. This will result in decrease in the
working efficiency of the employees. The major reason for this is that when the employees will not be working in proper and effective
manner then this will create a negative impact over the working of the company.
On the flip side Moses and et.al., (2016) articulates that the effective communication within the workplace is a must and lack
of the same can lead to various challenges. There are some employees at Marks and Spencer who lack the skill of effective
communication and because of this their level of engagement in their work is low. There are chances of miscommunication and
misunderstanding among the team members. Therefore, these are some challenges that can be faced by employees due to lack of
entrepreneurial skills.
In the contradictory note, Cai and et.al., (2019) argues that the major challenge which the employees face due to leack of the
entrepreneurial skill is that there might be lack of the collaboration or the team work. This is also a problem or the challenge which the
employees can face in managing the business in proper and effective manner. This is particularly because of the reason that when the
employees will be having lack of entrepreneurial skill then this will affect the working of the company to a great extent. In addition to
this, when the team working skill will not be good within the employees then this will create conflict among the employees. As a
result of this it might be possible that the employees do not feel motivated and will not be working in proper and effective manner.
Justification and Contextualization
A research can help the researcher in finding appropriate answers to a particular research problem. The answers help in filling
the gaps that would have been been there before the study. The primary purpose of a research is to provide informed actions and it is
important to always produce results that are not only knowledgeable, but also applicable practically. This particular research is
important as it helps in understanding the overall impact of entrepreneurial skills on employee motivation. Not only this, it also
identifies the various benefits of developing entrepreneurial skills for employees within the workplace. This will help in enhancing the
overall knowledge about the topic as well as encourage the readers to develop entrepreneurial skills. The research is also important
because it provides a list of challenges that employees at a workplace can face due to lack of entrepreneurial skills.
Entrepreneurial skills act as an important career development tool for employees within an organization. And this is one of the
reasons why it is important to analyze the impact entrepreneurial skills can have on the overall motivation of employees of the
employees. Another reason to find this is to allow the readers to understand that why employees should focus on developing various
entrepreneurial skills like effective communication, time management, creativity etc. Employee motivation is considered to be one of
the major contributors to the overall success of the company (O’Shea, Buckley and Halbesleben, 2017). And since, many employees
today, are not motivated towards their work, it is important to inform them that they should develop various entrepreneurial skills that
will not only be helpful for them at the workplace, but also act as a major contributor to their future career development. Apart from
this, they will also get a chance to identify various challenges that they might face due to lack of these skills.