A Humane Entrepreneurial Oriented Professor

A Humane Entrepreneurial Oriented Professor

The global pandemic has allowed academia to change fundamentally, and within that, there is a chance for educators to evolve. 

Estimated at the end of last year, ICSB foresaw a dramatic change in the role of the “educator,” be that for entrepreneurial and small business studies or other subjects. This global reshape has led professors and lecturers to confront the barriers posed by responses to the worldwide health crisis. Professor Hooi Den Huan of Singapore described today’s environment as R.U.D.E or rapidly changing, uncertain, dynamic, and engaging. ICSB focused this understanding of our modern environment on educators, expanding that the instructors themselves will evolve from being “bearers of information” to being R.U.D.E. In rapidly changing their knowledge base to grasp new theories and their applications, they will steer the education ship to a safe port of reflection and learning, while mastering engagement. Educators will do more than teach, entertain, and educate. However, they will engage their learners in the real journey of reflection, double-loop learning, and personal growth.

This assumption proves to be more accurate every day. We need to confront the reality that our current pedagogy, of entrepreneurship specifically, must change if we still find it essential to create prepared entrepreneurs. As our universities alter their structure and systems, we can not remain the same entrepreneurship professors that we were last year, nor even yesterday. We must change with the times, and I argue that this change must be centered around the care and growth of the individual, be that student, staff, faculty, etc. If we can engage with the principles of Humane Entrepreneurship, and in so doing, safeguard the value and potential of the human person, we will be able to adapt our methods to fit our environment more easily.

Remembering a conversation last month with Norris Krueger, he introduced the idea of the “Great Re-think,” during which he recommended that we move beyond thinking to entirely reimagining and recreating universities. The global pandemic has allowed academia to change fundamentally, and within that, there is a chance for educators to evolve. Rather than being derived from the changes in academia, the extension of the professor towards Humane Entrepreneurship will ultimately guide us towards creating more accessible and inclusive programs for students. The educator’s intention of HumEnt will lead to creative results, including the bridging of exclusivity gaps among institutions and overcoming unspoken priority so that younger scholars can access innovative and desirable solutions.

Each educator has a higher mandate to educate as many students as possible. The new format of e-learning does not limit this mandate but instead motivates its expansion. If educators can be culture-creating leaders who exemplify the practice of Humane Entrepreneurship, we might bring about a knowledge revolution that works towards equitable and empowering inclusion.

Given the recent transition in leadership at ICSB, we have spent a lot of time thinking about our origins (as back as 1955), during which we have asked the crucial questions: “Does our pedagogy still hold up in our new world,” “Are our systems optimized for the success and growth of our members?”, and “How can ICSB be present to the needs of our members today and tomorrow?” Upon discussing these questions, we have concluded that ICSB is an essential platform (community) for the advancement of entrepreneurship and that our programming holds significant influence over the skillsets of our members. For this reason, and in response to our greater call as educators to provide helpful and creative solutions to the problems before us, ICSB will be opening a new program on Monday (8/3/2020). Named the ICSB Educator 300, this digital database will represent a collection of the world’s most capable high-level educators of the future. Our goal is to limit the number of professors, lecturers, and teachers to 300 to be sure that we can manage the database, connect the database with top universities around the world (to ensure the database’s professors have favorable opportunities), and provide continuing education for these 300 educators as they evolve to the new online, hybrid, and hyflex models of education and teaching.

Please join us as we enter this new world together. Guided by the principles of Humane Entrepreneurship, we are sure to succeed and to bring about real and essential change throughout our global community.

Article by:

Dr. Ayman El Tarabishy
President & CEO, ICSB
Deputy Chair, Department of Management, GW School of Business

 

Knowing Knowledge and the Future

Knowing Knowledge and the Future

In a fully connected and ever-changing world, what does knowledge mean? 

 The global public has access to seemingly all the information that one might desire to know. However, despite this possibility, understanding and information are still somehow disconnected from each other. There seems to be only a select few who can decipher data in a way that presents that data. Yet, again, this translation often does not reach the general public or even the practitioners and professionals that might use it.

So, we might take a few steps back and ask ourselves, first, “What is knowledge?” Knowledge is the absolute, indisputable truth that is often provided in the form of information or indicated intuitively. Knowledge is grander than memorization or recollection because it involves a processing phase, one in which an individual or group absorbs specific information in a manner that allows them to heighten their understanding or to earn from such information.

Upon defining the concept of knowledge, we can return to our first question and ask, “What does knowledge mean?” and further, “What does knowledge represent?” An ageless discussion, knowledge is sometimes pursued individual understanding in and of itself, yet more often, knowledge is sought as a means to an end. As a vessel of transportation, knowledge is often necessitated throughout and within the search for solutions. However, in a world where problems are vast and solutions sporadic, a conversation on the obtention and usage of knowledge might be at hand.

Knowledge is absolute; yet, the vast connectedness of our world often makes it difficult to transmit this importance. Our system demands some sort of network for the spread and sharing of knowledge so that our interconnectedness and subsequent delivery of expertise will not be corrupted by political sway nor by personal beliefs. The world has a great need for reliable data and transparent information so that we can create solutions. This need will not be met in a single location nor come from an exclusive mindset.

We must have a more meaningful conversation on Knowledge Management (KM), and more so, a discussion about the platform from which we can appropriately discuss KM. In the age of information, why is knowledge attainment so difficult?

“Knowledge Management is the process of capturing, distributing, and effectively using knowledge” (Davenport, 1994).

Organizations must be given instruction and access to construct and promote their systems of Knowledge Management. This has mostly been the missing step in the process of obtaining information and drawing out knowledge from that information. Therefore, there must be a more significant network that allows individuals, or better pre-existing organizations, who wish to seek and assist in the dissemination of knowledge, to connect with and be supported by each other.

The International Council for Small Business Launches A Knowledge Network

It was off of this basis that the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) launched their Knowledge Hub, or KHub, network. The idea was originated and promoted by the Chair of ICSB, Mr. Ahmed Osman. Operating in collaboration, these KHubs work to promote entrepreneurial missions across the globe. With ICSB functioning in the middle of these centers, they will work to connect and uplift the voices of those who seek real knowledge.

Their KHub structure works similarly to a membership role in that organizations from around the world subscribe to ICSB in the form of KHub members and are thereby given the benefits of individual members and receive support as an organization at large. This bolstering relationship not only connects KHubs to other ICSB members and organizations, but it also provides the KHubs with a platform off of which to operate and with support from the ICSB Senior Leadership. Therefore, organizations that are interested in encouraging a culture of entrepreneurship and the stimulation of small businesses are now capable of developing their organization and their reach even further. Portrayed in the form of monthly access to collaborative mentoring, ICSB Leadership helps and supports KHubs, provides critical reviews of how an organization can advance in its vision, and better supports their organization’s participants.

If KHubs is the solution to connecting individuals and organizations to real knowledge, then the International Council for Small Business has well used the principles of frugal innovation to work to fill the void in the entrepreneurial understanding of knowledge. In hopes of creating more significant opportunities for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises worldwide as well as for the more significant human population, we might consider the practice of Human Entrepreneurship as a common goal to connect these KHubs. Not only could a virtuous standard of HumEnt be regarded as a motivating factor, however, but KHubs can also aspire to further their Knowledge Management en route to practicing HumEnt. KHubs behold the potential to change the channels of Knowledge Management significantly worldwide toward the attainment of a positive Humane Entrepreneurship status for firms and, potentially, for national Leadership.

To learn about ICSB Knowledge Hubs: https://icsb.org/khubs/

Article by:

Dr. Ayman El Tarabishy
President & CEO, ICSB
Deputy Chair, Department of Management, GW School of Business 

Resources

https://www.academia.edu/36256033/Knowledge_Management_as_an_important_tool_in_Organizational_Management_A_Review_of_Literature

The Future of Leadership

The Future of Leadership

By engaging with the human spirit and, further, embodying this engagement, leaders become servants to the very people that they seek to guide.

As I am transitioning into a new leadership position, I am confronted with the higher truths of leadership and how they unfold within an entrepreneurial orientation and, further, a humane entrepreneurial orientation (as found in the theory and practice of Humane Entrepreneurship, or HumEnt). Leadership grasps the critical importance of creating workplace climate and culture, thus determining the state of the Humane Entrepreneurship at any given enterprise.

Since performance is often considered the result of environmental characteristics and an organization’s internal structure and systems, we must look to the climate and culture creating mechanisms at play within organizations. Leadership is one of significant, if not total, importance. 

Within the examination of leadership, effective leadership most often refers to the “ability of a firm’s top managers to select and apply the ‘correct’ strategic approach or effectively implement an appropriate strategy” (Kim et al. 2018). In motivating employees, or “followers,” to carry out activities determined by leaders, such leadership must provide “desirable rewards for effective performance or undesirable consequences for poor performance” (Hollander 1992). Termed “transactional leadership,” this is typically categorized into “social exchange” (Graen and Uhl-Bien 1995). Conversely, “transformational leadership” works based on inspiring individuals to “perform at exceptional levels” (Bass 1985). In this case, a leader inspires their followers by creating an ecosystem of similar values, beliefs, and goals, so that followers feel a sense of ownership and commitment to their work.

In either case, this top-level leadership determines organizational performance. Leadership within organizations that are humanely and entrepreneurially orientated serves “more complex and difficult roles than traditional leaders” (El Tarabishy and Sashkin 2006). These specific roles involve the typical leading requirements of encouraging employees and followers to engage with their work as well as their own innovative and proactive projects.

Within an entrepreneurial spirit, which itself belongs to the principles of innovation, leadership involves discovering new ways to connect with one’s employees, and therefore, entrepreneurship is deeply seated in the great adventure of connecting to the human spirit. It is this relation, namely, that if successfully fused, it can seamlessly generate a culture of efficacy, empathy, progression, innovation, creativity, and determination.

In understanding this quite spiritual force at play within-firm success, our definition of Humane Entrepreneurship must consider an even greater appreciation of appropriate leadership strategies that will eventually direct us to a type of leadership that functions more authentically and aligns more closely to the human person.

If leaders can be a driving force for organizational performance, we might consider servant leadership as a final solution to our incomplete leadership equation. In understanding that an organization based and, even, created in light of humane entrepreneurship will generate enormous wealth and increase employment opportunities, the role of the leader in this climate and culture-creating effort must also come from a human-focused center.

The servant-leader is the servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived? (Greenleaf 2016).

In my understanding of building a workplace climate and culture that is both cyclical and just, servant leadership seems to be the missing, next step in our high-performance puzzle. Despite society’s desire and sincere belief that followers work most efficiently by submitting to orders, the application of the principles of Humane Entrepreneurship, and specifically those components of servant leadership, flips this idea on its head, by stating that employees will produce higher quality work at greater efficiency when they are lifted as individuals first and as employees second. By engaging with the human spirit and, further, embodying this engagement, leaders become servants to the very people that they seek to guide.

Servant leadership can, then, be thought to be the way of the future. In signaling to our teams and employees that their advancement, autonomy, and growth, both professionally and personally, is of utmost significance in our lives, we might just initiate a new wave of enterprise for our firms, nations, and society at large.

Article by:

Dr. Ayman El Tarabishy
President & CEO, ICSB
Deputy Chair, Department of Management, GW School of Business 

Resources

Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and Performance beyond Expectations. New York: Free Press.

El Tarabishy, A, and M. Sashkin (2006). “Entrepreneurial Leadership: Exploration of a New Construct,” Paper presented at the Bi-Ennial Gallup National Leadership Conference, Washington, DC, October.

Graen, G. B., and M. Uhl-Bien (1995). “Relationship-Based Approach to Leadership: Development of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory of Leadership over 25 Years: Applying a Multi-Level Multi-Domain Perspective,” The Leadership Quarterly 6(2), 219–247.

Greenleaf, K. (2016). “The Servant as Leader,” Center for Servant Leadership. Available at (click here)

Hollander, E. P. (1992). “Leadership, Followership, Self, and Others,” Leadership Quarterly 3(1),43–54.

Kim, K., A. El Tarabishy, Z. Bae (2018). “Humane Entrepreneurship: How Focusing on People Can Drive a New Era of Wealth and Quality Job Creation in a Sustainable World,” Journal of Small Business Management 56(S1), 10–29.

A New Type of Professor

A New Type of Professor

Our solutions will arrive not only when we attempt to imagine a different perspective for our entrepreneurial research, energy, and outcomes, but when we also find the conviction that these changes are essential and necessary for our continued evolution.

Challenging us to “re-think” everything, Norris Krueger spent time with us on Thursday afternoon instead of his usual time spent generating the next best entrepreneurial theory. Sitting in the “hot seat,” Krueger is considered the Nikola Tesla of entrepreneurship research today. His presentation demanded that we re-think our mindsets, ecosystems, and methods, in addition to re-thinking why we are necessitating this re-think. Our solutions will arrive not only when we attempt to imagine a different perspective for our entrepreneurial research, energy, and outcomes, but when we also find the conviction that these changes are essential and necessary for our continued evolution.

Dictated as the “Great Re-think,” we understand that this is a critical time to concurrently assess the intersections of the macro and micro in the way they align with “entrepreneurial potential and potential entrepreneurs” and reshape our understanding of the notion of “entrepreneur” as a verb in its true action-oriented state. The journey through re-thinking our mindset in teaching and training, in addition to an assessment of theoretical practices, helps us to recognize the need to create participatory opportunities for theories within the entrepreneurial setting. Following, re-thinking ecosystems must involve the discussion between top-down and bottom-up thinking. Looking to build programs and ecosystems that matter would seem logical, however within the gap between academia and reality, this notion often gets lost. Wanting to recover a lost storytelling program, Krueger spoke about building a hub from which we might promote an accurate and thorough narrative for small business and entrepreneurship worldwide. Lastly, looking to re-think models, Krueger spoke about using appropriate models that allow us to reframe our theories and practice appropriately.

This “Great Re-think” leads us to move beyond thinking to entirely reimagine and recreate universities. In reviewing the teachings of the coronavirus, not only is there an opportunity for universities to change fundamentally, either closing for the weaker universities or becoming more robust and bigger entities for those who can quickly adapt to the new normal; however, there is also the evolution of the professor. It will be derived from this transition in the position of the professor that, then, will create new accessible and more inclusive programs for students, bridging the exclusivity gaps resulting from institutional competition and prestige as well as unspoken priority in accessing innovative and desirable opportunities to learn for younger scholars.

Centering this shift around the professors, we might be able to capture their higher mandate, which guides them to educate as many students as they can. We could demonstrate that the professor holds the potential to behold a following comparable to that of a well-known celebrity. This celebrity status is not meant to generate attention for attention’s sake, but further to create the necessary conditions so that, similar to famous athletes and movie stars, the impact of a professor’s ideas, ideologies, and teachings could impact more students and greater networks. The notion is that professors have an incredible reach in obtaining information. However, they are often blocked in expanding that reach for their finished product. By using this sense of “popularity,” for social good, we can potentially attract the public’s attention by placing the ideas and stances of entrepreneurial professors next to the publications of celebrities like Elon Musk and Bill Gates. We are done with the stale insights from repeated voices, and we are ready to advance towards the future. There are already professors, Norris Krueger, for example, who have a following and are supported by the global organization, like Krueger is by ICSB. Therefore, in creating the opportunity for professors around the world, we can create a real knowledge revolution that works towards inclusion rather than division. This new professor will no longer belong to a school, but rather to him or herself and their followers.

Recognizing that not every student has the opportunity to attend an Ivy League program or travel across the world to participate in a conference, we might be able to seize this technological revolution to expand teaching capabilities to parts of the world where it never previously existed. If we can detach the professor from their established university, we can create a “sharing” program, which seeks to captivate students from multiple schools, programs, and institutions to work together to fund a course. Therefore, instead of one university paying to invite a guest lecturer or various guest lecturers for the semester to teach 100 students in one location, professors can gather the best and most innovative minds to instruct a week-long class. Students attending would be sent by their universities who wish to later reproduce the knowledge and cohesion of the event. Therefore, students would be able to return to their universities to share what they had learned. If the first-class worked with 30 students, then those students would be able to have individual connections with the course’s professors and instructors, which they could share when returning to their universities to connect with another set of students. Additionally, the information from this sort of class, which would typically be unavailable to many students throughout the world, could be captured on a technological platform to be shared with those who do not have the institutional finances to send their students to the course.

The focus of this type of program is twofold. Firstly, it would increase visibility around the higher mandate that professors feel, while moving away from the prestige, power, and rigor of an institution and its constant publication demands. Secondly, within entrepreneurship and learning centers, it could make available the essential understanding and empathy, which is often quite removed from traditional seminar settings. The deep engagement that could potentially arrive from these transitions, away from conventional and established university patterns, would finally make equitable changes in academia. In building a network through action and engagement rather than publication, we might genuinely be able to generate and produce something valuable from our “Great Re-think.”

Full Uncertainty That Is Our Certainty

Full Uncertainty That Is Our Certainty

We need to ensure that the entrepreneurial base grows and that the jobs become more diverse.

In acknowledging the global changes due to the unforeseen events over the past few months, Prince Constantijn van Oranje spoke about the societal and economic shifts that have taken place resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Having been personally and professionally affected, Prince Constantijn holds the unique perspective in seeing both the positive outcomes and painful truths that these past few months have revealed. In responding to the onset of the lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, Prince Constantijn and his team immediately saw the need to “pivot” their strategy. Upon the crisis’ onset, they surveyed the startup ecosystem to be able to see clearly and more fully understand the ecosystem’s needs and its views of the perceived economic and financial impact that the pandemic and shut down would likely produce. Thanks to this work, Prince Constantijn and his team were then in a “position to negotiate a loan package with the government for the startup community.” This was an incredible move-in protecting the Netherlands ecosystem as startups are not typically included in government aid packages. Additionally, on an organizational level, the external stressors over the past few months have been a loud and sounding wake up call to “refocus our organizations.”

In recognizing that a change or shift in one city or region can have a butterfly effect and result in significant changes in a completely different place, we need to realize our true globalized and interconnected nature. Prince Constantijn was asked, as a leader of the tech industry, and Tech Leap.NL, specifically, what had initially attracted him to this industry. In his response, Prince Constantijn admitted that scale-up is most likely the toughest part of the business. To be continually fighting and forever entering into new spaces, building a scale-up was, personally, not for him. However, he has found his place working with people that do have this enthusiasm and passion for working to improve the world. He finds it incredibly stimulating to be working with so many who embody a “can do” and, further, will do attitude.

In leading this sector, however, Prince Constantijn van Oranje has seen incredible success as the Netherlands continues to be one of the fastest-growing startup hubs in Europe. More specifically, Winslow Sargeant provided some data to portray the Netherlands’ success, recalling that they are the “#1 developer of capital in Europe, #4 best country for business, and #1 best-connected economy in the world.” When asked to share his best practices or those that he has seen, Prince Constantijn described that the success born out of the Netherlands is thanks to the well-established and built ecosystem in the Netherlands, which has high levels of healthcare, education, widespread bilingualism, higher education, and necessary infrastructure. Besides the work that by the government, the culture amongst Dutch people leads to the constant questioning of authority, which assists in creating a culture of innovation. This, coupled with the number of multilevel international organizations in the Netherlands, the nation began in an excellent position. Being a smaller country with universal broadband capabilities, the Netherlands’ real secret is that the essential “innovation is in the people.” We have seen this exemplified by the way that societies have integrated the technology to change healthcare, education, and work practices because now there is a significant pressure to make these transitions happen.

If innovation truly does originate in the person, and most trends point to its accuracy, then we need to question, “Do startups need governments.” The answer may have changed from before COVID-19 to now. However, we can see that the government does indeed have a role to play. We saw how the virus disproportionately affected those who were already in a vulnerable and disadvantaged state. COVID-19 has shown us that the government has an important role to play in a crisis. Governments work as a type of last resort lender, who must provide specific schemes to ensure that people are paid. However, there is a precise balance to strike in that the government needs to be proactive, while not being too restrictive, to enhance the opportunity for new solutions, founded in a flexible system. Governments, additionally, can have a mindset of innovation and entrepreneurship, which will motivate them to invest in education, research, and innovative development.

If governments genuinely begin investing in funding and encouraging entrepreneurs, we need to think about how this will change national ecosystems, and then, in turn, how it might affect our preconceived ideas or beliefs about globalization. As the movement towards resilient supply chains and autonomy takes form, no one seems to be sure of how this will translate into a globalized system. However, we are confident that companies need to build alternatives to their complex supply chains, which fail in the face of disruption. Even governments that are used to outsourcing all their manufacturing have been unable to access critical equipment. Prince Constantijn points out that we have all become “more aware that the optimization of supply chains has its risks,” therefore, in the future we might see more strategic moves as companies weigh efficiency over the robustness of supply chains.

Resulting from these disruptions, however, individual companies and industries were able to demonstrate incredible resiliency as they pulled together and shifted to produce what was most necessary for society, which not surprisingly equated with what was most essential for humanity. It is entrepreneurship that lives at the heart of these trends of adaptability and innovation. Today, anyone can engage with entrepreneurship. As we see, technology hubs spread throughout the world; startups are popping up in places that have been typically excluded from substantial monetary gains, quality job creation, and decision-making processes in the past. However, now, people can create a business with a simple connection to the internet, which is changing everything.

This movement towards investment in entrepreneurship must come with an investment towards expanding the invitation of those who are typically working within the tech sector. Currently, the tech world is very white and male, therefore, now that more people can engage with this sector, we must be sure to generate the conditions so that the non-white and non-male identities can feel empowered to unleash their potential within this sector. Governments can play an additional role in opening up this conversation and establishing a culture of acceptance, invitation, and equitable policy. Prince Constantijn reflected on these questions asking, “How do we make the tech ecosystem more diverse?” and “Why do certain groups not feel empowered to be entrepreneurs?” Noting the apparent bias also amongst investors, Prince Constantijn continues to ask, “How do we ensure that the entrepreneurial base grows and that the jobs become more diverse?” Betting on diversity “as a force for good,” we can see clearly that our customer base is more diverse, so why not look to represent that diversity, in talent, skill, background, and orientation.

For Prince Constantijn van Oranje, the logic is simple: we must integrate entrepreneurship into our culture. In demystifying the tech sector, we can start to change people’s perceptions to see the opportunity and possible gains that entrepreneurship presents instead of solely the risks. In destigmatizing failure, we might be able to create a vibrant ecosystem, or “set of interrelated actors providing tech, money, talent, and market entry.” As COVID-19 worked as an “incredible triage,” businesses worldwide are deciding whether they want to stay at their size or make a leap forward. For many, that will involve entering the online market, which presents many possibilities. Unfortunately for companies that are not willing to continue forward, many will not survive.

In his closing remarks, Prince Constantijn van Oranje states that “the only thing you know is that you have full uncertainty, that’s your certainty.” In moving forward, hope is not the solution, but rather it is a mental guide that helps us move forward. In thinking about the approaching MSMEs Day, we can see the wonderful organizations and businesses that have come out of crises, the United Nations presenting as a great example. In his final words, Prince Constantjin reminds us that there will always be people who stand up to make a change, and right now, that change-maker could be anyone.

Thank you, Prince Constantijn van Oranje for your incredible presentation and sharing your time with us. For those interested in watching the full video, check it out below. We look forward to continuing this discussion at the MSMEs Day 2020 June 25th Celebration and June 27th Day of Action.