The Climate for Entrepreneurship at Higher Education Institutions

While the importance of a supportive context for entrepreneurship is widely acknowledged, its antecedents are rarely investigated. We apply the concept of organizational climate to higher education
institutions and examine the determinants of a positive entrepreneurial climate among students. Combining data from two unique datasets, we analyze the relationship between university characteristics and aggregate climate perceptions at public universities in Germany. We argue that in order to improve
their entrepreneurial climate universities need to regularly initiate a process of sensemaking by guiding and sensitizing a broad spectrum of students for entrepreneurship, for example in the form of
compulsory courses. Structural characteristics of universities and the general study quality also have a strong influence on the entrepreneurial climate. Overall, our study adds to our understanding on which factors are important for establishing a more favorable and inspiring climate for becoming an entrepreneur at higher education institutions.