From Family Business Experience to the Classroom

Beyond the initiation into business creation, entrepreneurial education must prepare future entrepreneurs to mobilize organizational agility when facing the unexpected. This study identifies agility practices within family SMEs in the Kivu region and proposes pedagogical insights for training students to operate effectively in turbulent environments. Based on 32 semi-structured interviews conducted in North and South Kivu (DR Congo), the findings reveal that agility is structured around four key dimensions: organizational culture, change management, human resource management, and stakeholder relations—all fostering resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability. Building on these results, three training modules are proposed: (i) managing uncertainty and complexity, to anticipate and respond to unforeseen events; (ii) strategic and operational agility, to rapidly adjust plans, processes, and resources; and (iii) organizational resilience and decision-making in turbulent contexts, to address complex problems and ensure business continuity. These modules provide students with practical frameworks for embedding adaptability and agility into the management of new ventures.