Respectfully, Ben, you bring up a classic debate. Burt's definition of
entrepreneurship mirrors Schumpeter's emphasis on innovation as a defining
characteristic of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneur. In the 1949
publication Change and the Entrepreneur, however, even Schumpeter conceded
to fellow scholars Arthur Cole, Leland Jenks, and Thomas Cochran, that for
research purposes at least, it is much better to focus on a broader
definition of entrepreneurship as business creation. For my part as one who
studies variations in entrepreneurship activity across social groups, I have
to agree with the broader definition. Innovation is a subjective call.
We see this fact in Charles Darwin's work on gender. He rationalized that
women were less developed or less mature humans than men. For evidence, he
noted not only physical features like lack of body hair, but also argued
that only men were responsible for inventing tools and other social
innovations and arrangements. Of course, he completely disregarded the
innovations that had occurred within the domestic sphere and he neglected to
consider the lack of political rights that women held up to that point in
time. In others words, it did not occur to him that women have been
responsible for and have contributed to many inventions that men have been
credited for. The earliest example reported by the Smithsonian institute
concerned the 18th century patent for cornmeal - invented by a woman under
patent held by her husband because women did not have the right to hold
patents. Women have been responsible for numerous other inventions that
affect our daily lives - windshield wipers, colored signal flares,
radio-control communication used for missiles and cell phone technology
(yep, Heddy Lamarr - look it up), square bottom paper bags, even brassieres
(which you have to admit men have benefited from, too). Not to mention the
roles women have played in the production of textiles and clothing, food
products and cooking styles, medical expertise and services, farm machinery
and household furnishings, etc. And what about the inventions brought to us
by indigenous people, immigrants, servants, and slaves? Do I have stories.
In this sense, then, we really have to continue defining entrepreneurship in
it's broadest sense. Otherwise, we make the mistake of discounting
innovations that exist outside our sense of relevance. This is also
important in the classroom. Who are our students? What are their areas of
expertise? Is the problem really coming up with the idea or making it
happen? I think good ideas are actually a dime a dozen. The hard part is
getting anywhere with it. I agree that it is important to teach students
about creativity, innovation, networking, etc. But for me the more
important skills are critical thinking, reflexivity, and resource
mobilization. Is this idea feasibile? Is it sellable? Is there a market?
Who do I contact to get what kinds of help? How do I find a good
manufacturer/vendor? How do I recruit the right employees? How do I
identify a target market? How do I get the word out? How do I take the
first step?
I base my position, not just on my theoretical views, but also on my
ancillary experience with a practicum offered to students at Kenan-Flagler
Business School at UNC Chapel Hill. Professor Paul Bloom organized a
practicuum course where MBA students are responsible for running a single
fundraising event for a local non-profit - a 10k race. This practicuum, it
turns, out is regularly cited as the best course taken by participating
students during their MBA program. These students are largely from
bureaucratic, middle management or lower type backgrounds. They generally
have had no experience "mobilizing resources" or getting out into the
community or marketplace. This experience for them is like running a
business for a day. They plan it from beginning to end. They gather
sponsorships (investors), target their market, prepare and distribute
marketing materials, recruit volunteers and hire vendors. They interact with
the non-profit board in the planning and execution of the event and they
present a closing summary of the success of event in terms of financials,
turn out, and lessons learned. I think it's about learning through
experience how to mobilize those critical resources under the supervision
and guidance of an experienced teacher. Students gain a chance to actually
apply the tools they learn in business school. How useful is planning?
What types of tools give us the best information? And so on.
Thanks for the discussion, everyone! It's been great fun to follow.
Amanda Elam, PhD. | Postdoctoral Fellow
Brisbane Graduate School of Business | Queensland University of Technology |
www.bgsb.qut.edu.au
phone: 07 3138 1163 | fax: 07 3138 1299 | email:
amanda.elam@qut.edu.au |
CRICOS No. 00213J
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away
from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover. -- Mark Twain
-----Original Message-----
From: Entrepreneurship Division Listserv [mailto:
ENTREP@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU]
On Behalf Of
bpowell@BAMA.UA.EDU
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 11:30 PM
To:
ENTREP@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Re: [ENTREP] training to take risk NOT
Norris makes an important point regarding the fungibility of entrepreneurial
skills.
I think Ron Burt (in his 1992 book) defined an entrepreneur as someone who
bridges structural holes. If we accept this or a similarly broad definition
of an entrepreneur, then what we teach would be applicable in a variety of
contexts - not just starting a business. Math is important to many people
who are not mathematicians. Entrepreneurial skills are important to many
people who do not start businesses.
Perhaps the conceptualization of entrepreneurship as the creation of new
ventures is misleading our field. It might make more sense to think of an
entrepreneur as someone who exploits opportunities. If so, then our courses
should be designed to fit this broader conceptualization of
entrepreneurship, i.e., include more on creativity and networking and less
on venture creation.
-Ben Powell
Quoting Norris Krueger <
norris.krueger@GMAIL.COM>:
> Even going back to Bruce Phillips' data (with Bruce Kirchhoff) - the
> numbers are pretty surprising. If you broaden the arena to
> self-employment, the numbers are very high over one's lifetime.
>
> What I thought the direction was moving toward is that even if
> students/trainees do not start an independent business, they might:
> 1) go to work for one
> 2) being involved in one as advisor, service provider, etc.
> 3) go into their family's business
> 4) be intrapreneurial, even
> 5) socially entrepreneurial
> etc.
>
> Understanding how to manage (even lead) entrepreneurially is a set of
> knowledge, skills and mindset that offers great value whether or not
> one starts a new business. Perhaps we need to talking about how we
> help our students/trainees to apply entrepreneurial abilities to
> seemingly less-entrepreneurial settings?
>
> As an entrepreneur, wouldn't you like to see your banker, your
> employees, your suppliers, et al be people who understand
> entrepreneurship?
>
> Worrying about what percentage of our students actually start
> businesses, to me anyway, is less important than giving them important
> tools for life.
>
> Does that mean we need to teach more re intrapreneurship? Social
> entrepreneurship? What else?
>
> Cheers!
> Norris
>
> On 4/9/07, Per Davidsson <
per.davidsson@qut.edu.au> wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > Just a little correction of Savidge's estimates, which I'm not sure
> where
> > he got. I have no opinion on his or others' programs and hence not
> > whether or not whether they need change/deserve wider adopiton.
> >
> > Research, in paritcular the research programs intitiated by Paul
> Reynolds,
> > have established that entrepreneurship (interpreted as starting
> and/or
> > running an independent business, or at least trying to do so) is
> not quite
> > the exclusive minority phenomenon some believe it to be (any more).
> For
> > example, data from the second half of the 1990s suggest 37.5% of
> Americans
> > were at some point of their lives involved in starting or running
> an
> > independent business. With figures in the high 20s Sweden had, as
> predicted,
> > lower levels of participation. Recent research (Reynolds, personal
> > communication) indicate that participation increased in the US
> unitil 1998
> > and then has remained pretty stable.
> >
> > Based on this it would seem reasonable to assume that in a self
> selected
> > group of entrepreneurship students the percentage that will at some
> stage
> > move on to trying to at least trying to start a business may be
> well over
> > 50%.
> >
> > Best Regards,
> >
> > Per Davidsson
> >
> > (the 1990s data was compiled in Delmar, F. & P. Davidsson, 2000,
> Where do
> > they come from? Prevalence and characteristics of nascent
> entrepreneurs.
> > Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 12, 1-23; original sources
> can be
> > found there).
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Per Davidsson
> > Professor in Entrepreneurship
> > Brisbane Graduate School of Business Queensland University of
> > Technology Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane
> > 4001 Queensland
> > Australia
> > Ph: +617 3138 2051
> > Fax: +617 3138 1299
> > email:
per.davidsson@qut.edu.au
> >
> >
> > Australia's first MBA with the 'triple crown' of
> accreditation
> >
> >
> > ---- Original message ----
> > >Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 09:05:01 -0700
> > >From: Jack Savidge <
jsavidge@PACBELL.NET>
> > >Subject: Re: [ENTREP] training to take risk NOT
> > >To:
ENTREP@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
> > >
> > > Let's start with the assumption that of the 100%
> > > students finishing entrepreneurship courses, at best
> > > some 10-15% will ever start a business. This
> > > assumption probably holds for the United States, but
> > > certainly far less for all other 1st World
> > > countries. One need only look at the new business
> > > formations in European countries to know culture
> > > damping effects are personal barriers to the risky
> > > business of entrepreneurship.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Traditionally, "entrepreneurship" education is about
> > > how-to start new ventures whether within an
> > > enterprise or the formation and growth of a new one.
> > > Perhaps excellent for the precious few who will
> > > graduate and go on to do that. However, drum
> > > thumping "here's how to start a business"
> > > entrepreneurship curricula leaves behind a very
> > > large student fraction to wonder whether they do not
> > > measure up, are innately risk averse, are failing to
> > > serve a patriotic cause or just did not learn the
> > > lessons well enough.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > In 2000, the formation of the von Liebig Center for
> > > Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement -
> > >
www.vonliebig.ucsd.edu - rested on two initiatives:
> > > (1) an adaption of traditional entrepreneurship to
> > > prepare engineering graduates to more efficiently
> > > enter the chaotic smaller business technology
> > > workplace environment, and (2) a value-adding
> > > faculty idea mentoring and $2.5 million on-campus
> > > funding process. We believed all students should get
> > > entrepreneurship content but through curricula
> > > rearranged to not teach students "how" but rather
> > > why, who, when, where, what happens during the work
> > > phases they encounter. UCSD engaged Drs. Karl Vesper
> > > and William Paulin to develop three courses - the
> > > 1st designed around the perspectives of the newly
> > > hired technician, the 2nd through the eyes of the
> > > technical manager and the 3rd from the vantage of
> > > operating or chief executive. These all under the
> > > umbrella of "entrepreneurISM." [Webster's definition
> > > of "ISM": [SUFFIX :1. Action; process; practice:
> > > "terrorism." 2. Characteristic behavior or quality:
> > > "heroism." 3. a. State; condition; quality:
> > > "pauperism." b. State or condition resulting from an
> > > excess of something specified: "strychninism." 4.
> > > Distinctive or characteristic trait: "Latinism." 5.
> > > a. Doctrine; theory; system of principles:
> > > "pacifism." b. An attitude of prejudice against a
> > > given group: "racism."] The ~ 10% process the
> > > content to aide starting a venture, and the 90%
> > > confident they will understand what happens and
> > > actions are taking place when they get to the
> > > workplace. Results to-date indicate swift adaption
> > > into new jobs, quicker advancement, more creativity
> > > sooner, and employers who seek our graduates.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Is it now time to serve all, instead of the few,
> > > students seeking new enterprise knowledge?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Jack Savidge
> > >
> > > Deputy Director, von Liebig Center
> > >
> > >
jsavidge@ucsd.edu
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > From: Entrepreneurship Division Listserv
> > > [mailto:
ENTREP@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of
> > > Norris Krueger
> > > Sent: Friday, April 06, 2007 7:43 AM
> > > To:
ENTREP@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
> > > Subject: Re: [ENTREP] training to take risk NOT
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > One of the few times my late mentor, Al Shapero, was
> > > on TV, he said...
> > >
> > > "There are only 5 business schools in the US...
> > >
> > > ...the rest are academies for corporate middle
> > > management."
> > >
> > > LOL, but... The market for b-school students is
> > > perceived (somewhat accurately) as the corporate
> > > world. If (larger) local and national employers are
> > > hiring 95%+ of our MBA students, that will take its
> > > toll, I'd think.
> > >
> > > (BTW, at the recent NCIIA conference, Tom Bryant had
> > > an intriguing idea about a new market for MBAs.... )
> > >
> > > On 4/5/07, Sanjay Bhowmick <
> > >
s.bhowmick@auckland.ac.nz> wrote:
> > >
> > > What's causing the dampening effect among the MBAs?
> > >
> > > I believe that in the MBA we are teaching students
> > > to efficiently run
> > > businesses -- "administration" as against setting
> > > up. The models that we
> > > teach really apply to larger businesses, and Welsh
> > > and White (1981) have
> > > shown it conclusively. Having advised/funded both
> > > large
> > > corporates/projects as well as entrepreneurial
> > > firms, I completely
> > > identify with the argument made in the above
> > > paper. It may well be that
> > > we should (continue to) keep the two programs
> > > distinct: entrepreneurship
> > > education and MBA, with the choice in the former of
> > > focusing
> > > on "internship" as Tim Stearns and Tom Burns are
> > > doing so well, and with a
> > > choice in the latter of specialising towards
> > > corporate management or
> > > entrepreneurship (when MBA students can be streamed
> > > with the
> > > entrepreneurship cohort for common courses).
> > >
> > > Request please share any such streaming being tried
> > > in your school.
> > >
> > > Cheers
> > > Sanjay
> > >
> > > Sanjay Bhowmick
> > > The University of Auckland Business School
> > >
> > > **************************************
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> > > Management.
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> > > Dr. John Bunch
jbunch@benedictine.edu.
> > >
> > > Ventures HO!
> > >
> > > --
> > > Norris Krueger, Jr., Ph.D.
> > > Teams / Entrepreneurship Northwest
> > > (208) 440-3747
> > > skype: norris.krueger
> > > "I criticize by creation, not by finding fault"
> > > -Cicero ************************************** This
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> > > Dr. John Bunch
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> > >
> > > ************************************** This message
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> > > Dr. John Bunch
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> >
> > **************************************
> > This message is from ENTREP which is sponsored by the
> Entrepreneurship
> > Division of the Academy of Management.
> >
> > Please do not post messages with attached files. Commercial
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> >
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> >
> > Ventures HO!
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Norris Krueger, Jr., Ph.D.
> Teams / Entrepreneurship Northwest
> (208) 440-3747
> skype: norris.krueger
> "I criticize by creation, not by finding fault" -Cicero
>
> **************************************
> This message is from ENTREP which is sponsored by the Entrepreneurship
> Division of the Academy of Management.
>
> Please do not post messages with attached files. Commercial messages
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> If you have questions or need help, please contact Dr. John Bunch
>
jbunch@benedictine.edu.
>
> Ventures HO!
>
--
**************************************
This message is from ENTREP which is sponsored by the Entrepreneurship
Division of the Academy of Management.
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Ventures HO!
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