The innovator’s exagon: Development and validation of a new competency framework

Our study adds to the third stream of EI research (Boyatzis and Sala, 2004) by proposing and empirically testing a new model and the related scale. This model, that encompasses thirty-one behavioral competencies grouped into six different clusters (awareness, action, social, cognitive, exploratory, organizational action), aims to overcome the limits of the extant ESC (Emotional Social and Cognitive) competencies scales considering a comprehensive set of competencies that are increasingly recognized as those that can support organizations and provide a competitive advantage. The paper describes the process of construction and validation of this new scale. First, by using both deductive and inductive approaches, we identified a set of ESC competencies and created a corresponding set of behavioral indicators. We started from consolidated scales developed in the literature related to the third stream of EI research and complemented them with the most recent advancements in the field of behavioral competencies, with a particular focus on the emerging skills for succeeding in the innovation and entrepreneurial endeavors (e.g. Dyer, Gregersen and Christensen, 2008; Puccio, Mance and Murdock 2011). This initial set of competencies has been integrated with the authors’ empirical investigations of managerial and entrepreneurial roles operating in different industries. Then, the items have been tested among experts in the field, obtaining six items for each competency included in the framework. Then, we proceeded with the items’ refinement (face and content validity) asking potential users to match each item to its corresponding competency. Concerning the validation process, the paper presents the results of a pilot study conducted with samples of Italian and Spanish university students. We assessed the construct validity and reliability according to the items’ reflective or formative nature within each competency construct. Then, we tested factor invariance between Italian and Spanish versions of the questionnaire. We conclude discussing the research and managerial implications of the new instrument.