Personal Initiative (PI) Training is a psychological entrepreneurship training. It was developed by Prof. Michael Frese, Prof. Michael Gielnik and their team at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg. PI Training is specifically designed for entrepreneurs in developing and emerging countries because entrepreneurship is a major driver of the economic development in such countries. Embedded in scientific research projects, PI Training equips entrepreneurs with a proactive mindset. It enables them to grow their businesses and to create jobs, thereby contributing to the reduction of poverty in their countries.
The research project in Jamaica investigated effects of a combination of PI and business practices training compared to a version of PI Training which particularly focused on persistence. The project was initiated by the Inter-American Development Bank and assigned approximately 1,000 entrepreneurs from the country`s capital Kingston and adjoining parishes to one of the two training groups or a control group. Besides contrasting PI Training with a combination of PI and business practices training, a distinguishing element of this project was its behavioral focus in measuring outcomes of the intervention.