MENTORING GUIDELINES. A Guide for the Technology Park Zagreb Members

Transcription

1 MENTORING GUIDELINES A Guide for the Technology Park Zagreb Members Zagreb, April 2016

2 Document Title Mentoring Guidelines: A Guide for the Technology Park Zagreb Members Purpose Mentoring Guidelines: A Guide for the Technology Park Zagreb Members defines the Technology Park Zagreb mentor application and selection process as well as the rules of using mentoring services. Version V.03 Comes into effect April 15, 2016 Source Development Agency Zagreb -TPZ Ltd. Status Adopted by the Director of the Agency in accordance with Article 14 of the Development Agency Zagreb -TPZ Ltd. Articles of Association. Published on the Technology Park Zagreb website: Copyright This is a public domain document. It can be used in digital and printed format provided that the document source is clearly stated. Any variations from the original text and names of authors of all additionally added and/or altered portions of the text must be clearly marked. Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

3 1. Summary This document details mentoring guidelines for mentoring of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ideas which form an integral part of the Technology Park Zagreb program. One of the basic premises for mentor and entrepreneurial mentoring methodologies selection criteria is as follows: development teams and entrepreneurs who are being mentored are already part of the Technology Park Zagreb; they are experts in the field in which they are developing a product or service. Furthermore, it is assumed that they possess technical skills needed to develop a product but lack additional knowledge and experience needed to further develop their business. These assumptions are based on a qualitative market research indicating that the biggest number of young, high tech sector entrepreneurs in Croatia most commonly has necessary technical skills while lacking necessary business skills in order to successfully commercialize their product. The final presumption is that the Technology Park Zagreb wants to address this entrepreneurial shortcoming in order to successfully commercialize a larger volume of Croatian entrepreneurial ideas in Croatia as well as internationally. Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

4 2. Table of Contents 1. Summary Table of Contents Choosing a Mentor Areas of Mentoring Mentor Selection Criteria Mentor Selection Process Application Application Requirement Review Process Application Evaluation Application Selection Process Mentor List Mentoring Methodology Mentor - Entrepreneur Matching Process Entrepreneurial Mentoring Process Goal Setting Mentoring Duration Mentoring Activities Mentoring Report Mentor Evaluation and Assessment APPENDICES P1. Mentoring Application Form P2. Mentoring Plan P3. Mentoring Report P4. Mentor Evaluation and Assessment Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

5 3. Choosing a Mentor 3.1. Areas of Mentoring Mentors offer advisory services to entrepreneurs who are an integral part of the Technology Park Zagreb program. Advisory services fall into the following categories: Area A: Development of product or service (target market, competition, market positioning, basic added value of the product in the target market, intellectual property strategy, legal framework), Area B: Commercialization of product or service (types of sales, distribution channels, promotion channels, growth plan, strategic partnerships, market research), Area C: Business management (organizational structure, responsibility sharing, management processes, team leading, managing organizational change, human resources and employment strategy), Area D1: Business plan writing (business model, price model, financial projections), Area D2: Financing plan (financing requests, financial partnerships, enterprise or project recapitalization strategy, approaching target investors). In addition to areas defined by these Guidelines, the Technology Park Zagreb reserves the right to define additional areas of mentoring according to market requirements and trends, and publish a new version of the Guidelines. Mentors perform advisory services within the above stated areas and must meet mentor selection criteria in order to successfully fulfill their responsibilities toward the Technology Park Zagreb. Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

6 3.2. Mentor Selection Criteria The Technology Park Zagreb mentoring candidates must choose a primary competence area (areas A, B or C). In addition to the primary competence area, candidates can choose a secondary competence area (D1 or D2). Area A - product development experience (creation of an innovative concept and development strategy) Area B - product commercialization experience (market entry strategy and marketing) Area C management experience (managing a company, managing a team) Area D1 and/or D2 requires business and financing plan writing experience. Minimum or ideal requirements determining a potential candidate's competence and experience in stated areas are determined by selection criteria defined herewith. Candidates must demonstrate experience in stated areas through the following minimum requirements: work experience in the primary area as stated in the application (references, responsibilities, number of years of relevant experience, and significant achievements within a company); minimum 5 years of relevant work experience; higher education in the field of economics or technical sciences. Mentors who meet the following criteria are considered ideal candidates: entrepreneurial experience or relevant position held within own company with responsibilities that fall within the areas stated above; 10 years or more of relevant work experience; higher education in the field of economics with additional education in the field of technical sciences, or higher education in the field of technical sciences with additional education in the field of economics; international work experience coupled with specific knowledge and skills acquired through previously engaging with and supporting young and innovative entrepreneurs. Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

7 3.3. Mentor Selection Process In order for the mentor selection process to begin, potential candidates must fill out the Technology Park Zagreb Mentoring Application Form. Illustration below depicts the mentor selection process: Receiving applications Application requirement review Application evaluation Application selection The Technology Park Zagreb will issue an invitation to tender for mentoring services and carry out the remainder of the selection process as follows. Invitation to tender states goals and purpose of mentoring as well as candidate selection criteria. These Guidelines further describe the mentoring application process Application Mentoring application process is defined by the Technology Park Zagreb and consists of two steps: I. Mentoring Candidate Application (filled out and submitted web Application Form - available on website). confirmation will be sent by the Technology Park Zagreb. II. Documents to Be Submitted with Application (curriculum vitae and other documents that the candidate wants to submit in order to complete the documentation and demonstrate his or her professional experience and competences as stated in the application) are to be submitted via tehnopark@raza.hr. The Technology Park Zagreb notification confirming Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

8 that the application has been received and entered into mentor qualification process will be sent out. Mentoring Application Form can be found in the Appendix 1 of this document Application Requirement Review Process Application requirement review process takes place while the applications are being received in order to optimize the selection process timeline. Application requirement review process entails verifying that the application adheres to the following administrative requirements: the application is submitted by the official deadline; all required Application Form fields are filled; all required documents are submitted (in the requested form). Confirmation and administrative requirement check feedback are sent simultaneously. If these requirements are met, candidate application enters the evaluation process Application Evaluation For the purposes of application evaluation, an Evaluation Committee is appointed by the Technology Park Zagreb. During the application evaluation process candidates are assessed according to their primary competence areas. Mentoring candidate needs to provide evidence of his or her competence areas in the curriculum vitae and accompanying documentation. The Evaluation Committee determines whether the candidate possesses relevant experience as defined in Chapter 3.2. Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

9 Area A requires work experience as follows: Development Manager, Product Manager, Innovation Management Expert, and similar positions which provided the candidate with the experience and competences as defined by area A. Area B requires product commercialization experience as follows: Sales Manager, Marketing Director, Marketing Manager, Marketing Expert, and similar positions which provided the candidate with the experience and competences as defined by area B. Area C requires experience managing a company (more than 10 employees) or work experience as follows: Operations Manager, Department or Unit Manager, and similar positions which provided the candidate with team management experience. Area D1 and/or D2 requires business and financing plan writing experience gained in the following types of engagements: Chief Financial Officer, Head of Finances, or other finances related and business plan writing experience. Candidates who meet mentor criteria in chosen areas will be invited to an interview with the Technology Park Zagreb Evaluation Board representative. During the interview candidate motivation as well as availability and flexibility will be assessed. Motivation: The ideal candidate will possess intrinsic motivation and altruistic goals when it comes to working with development teams and entrepreneurs. Candidates whose willingness to mentor relies exclusively on possible material gain are considered low motivation candidates. Availability and flexibility: The ideal candidate will be available to contribute at least 8 working hours per month for the purposes of mentoring. Candidates who are not able to set aside the necessary time for mentoring and are not available for at least 8 working hours per month are considered low availability candidates. Based on these additional criteria, candidates will be evaluated on a 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) scale. If a particular category receives a rating of 1, application is dismissed. Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

10 Application Selection Process The Evaluation Committee meeting is organized by the Technology Park Zagreb. The Evaluation Committee consists of three member evaluators appointed by the Development Agency Zagreb Board. Evaluators candidate ratings are used as a foundation for the Committee meeting application discussion whereupon a list of eligible mentors is made based on determined criteria. The Development Agency Zagreb Board makes the mentor selection decision. Candidates who have submitted applications that meet eligibility requirements are sent a letter of acceptance into the mentoring program by which they are considered the Technology Park Zagreb mentors. Candidates who were not selected receive a written notification as well Mentor List Mentor list is available on the Technology Park Zagreb website as well as other written materials which the Technology Park Zagreb will primarily use in order to provide information to entrepreneurs and promote its activities to broader public. Chosen Technology Park Zagreb mentoring candidates will be published on the mentor list containing: first and last name, short biography (up to 1000 characters from the Application Form) and mentor photograph. Mentor engagement is dependent on the Technology Park Zagreb needs and will be confirmed by signing of the Mentoring Contract. Mentoring intensity and time slots are determined upon agreement. Selected mentors who sign the Mentoring Contract with the Development Agency Zagreb will carry out mentoring services for the Technology Park Zagreb members. In accordance with the Rules on the Use of Services of the Technology Park Zagreb, the Technology Park Zagreb members obtain the right to receive mentoring services. Mentoring Contract will detail mentor s rights and responsibilities. Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

11 As a rule, mentors provide mentoring services to the Technology Park members without compensation. In exceptional cases, when determined by the Technology Park Program, mentors obtain the right to receive compensation for the working hours spent providing the mentoring service. Cost of entrepreneurial mentoring services (max 400 HRK/hour, max 20 working hours/year) will be determined by the Development Agency Zagreb Technology Park Zagreb special decision. 4. Mentoring Methodology Entrepreneurial mentoring methodology consists of two basic processes and phases: mentor - entrepreneur matching process, entrepreneurial mentoring and mentor assessment process Mentor - Entrepreneur Matching Process Entrepreneurs are given access to the Technology Park Zagreb mentoring program mentor list where they can view available mentors. The list includes names of mentors and their primary areas of expertise. If available, next to each mentor s name there is an assessment rating given by previously mentored entrepreneur. A mentor is assigned to an entrepreneur by the Technology Park Zagreb for an area in which the entrepreneur wants and needs advice and help by experienced experts. Additionally, the entrepreneur can choose a mentor according to his or her preferences. The entrepreneur submits a list of preferred mentors according to priority and relevance as well as other relevant criteria to the Technology Park Zagreb. The Technology Park Zagreb provides mentors with mentoring requests containing a list of entrepreneurs interested in Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

12 mentoring in specific areas. Depending on availability of mentors within preferred time slots, mentoring dynamics and appointment plan are devised Entrepreneurial Mentoring Process Entrepreneurial mentoring process defines mentoring goals, timeframes and activities. Mentoring process entails personal (individual or group) meetings but can be done via other communication channels (in writing, by phone, Skype etc.) Goal Setting At the beginning of each mentoring cycle, entrepreneur mentoring goals are defined. Breadth of the goals must be within one of the defined priority areas (A, B or C) and can include additional engagement within a secondary area (D1 or D2) as needed. Examples of mentoring goals for each of the areas are as follows: i. Detailed new product development concept (Area A) with a detailed product development financing and business commencement plan (Area D2). ii. Defined product positioning strategy with proposed foreign market distribution partners (Area B) with a clearly defined business model (Area D1). iii. Organizational changes recommendation (Area C) with a business expansion plan through development (or production) capacities strengthening. Goals of the mentor-entrepreneur cooperation must fall within the mentor's areas of expertise and experience Mentoring Duration Mentoring is available to entrepreneurs and development teams who are members of the Technology Park Zagreb during the period defined by the final Contract of Use of the Technology Park Zagreb Services within the Pre-Incubation, Incubation or Acceleration Program. The mentor engagement (number of mentoring hours) is regulated individually according to entrepreneur s needs. After the mentoring goals Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

13 have been established, mentoring activities dynamics and plan are defined and entered into the Mentoring Plan form. Mentoring Plan form can be found in the Appendix 2 of this document Mentoring Activities Mentoring activities can include advisory services as well as business activities which a mentor, according to his or her capabilities as well as the entrepreneur's request, is able to provide to the entrepreneur. The following business activities can be encompassed within the Technology Park Zagreb mentoring program: market analysis, business documentation elaboration, and mutual meetings with partners and investors. Contacting buyers, product promotion, lobbying and other activities which are not explicitly stated here are not considered mentoring program activities and are not subsidized by the Technology Park Zagreb. Time and place as well as mentoring style (means of communication) are agreed upon by the mentor and entrepreneur. Mentoring activities between the mentor and entrepreneur can be carried out without the physical presence of the mentor at the Technology Park Zagreb premises Mentoring Report At the end of each month (or quarterly if previously arranged) a mentor is required to write a mentoring report for each entrepreneur that he or she has mentored during the stated period. The mentoring report must contain the number of hours that the mentor has spent providing advisory services to entrepreneurs of the Technology Park Zagreb program. If the mentor has mentored more than one entrepreneur, he or she must prepare a separate mentoring report for each entrepreneur using the Mentoring Report Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

14 form. If any of the mentoring activities yielded any type of business documentation or market analyses, the mentor is required to enclose the stated documentation as proof of activity. Prior to submitting the mentoring report to the person responsible at the Technology Park Zagreb, the mentor is required to submit the report to the entrepreneur for signature. The entrepreneur's signature affirms that the stated mentoring services have been executed in accordance to what has been written in the mentoring report. Mentoring Report form can be found in the Appendix 3 of this document Mentor Evaluation and Assessment At the end of each mentoring process, the entrepreneur fills out the Mentor Assessment Form. The purpose of filling out the Mentor Assessment Form is to assess the entrepreneur s level of satisfaction in relation to the mentoring services provided and thus achieve a greater quality of mentors at the Technology Park Zagreb for the following generations of entrepreneurs. Mentor Assessment Form can be found in the Appendix 4 of this document. Zagreb, April 15, 2016 Development Agency Zagreb TPZ Ltd. Director Frane Šesnić, mag. ing. el. Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April

15 5. APPENDICES P1. Mentoring Application Form P2. Mentoring Plan P3. Mentoring Report P4. Mentor Evaluation and Assessment Mentoring Guidelines, Technology Park Zagreb April