“A Project of One’s Own”
November 23, 2021
Originally posted in our November 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. As we close out our discussion of building entrepreneurial culture, let’s consider one more option for fostering innovation: the side project. In his recent essay, Paul Graham thinks through the beauty of a self-directed project. That is, a project “that you’re doing voluntarily, rather than merely because someone told you to, and…that you’re doing it by yourself.” Graham shares the wealth of positive emotions that come…
Read more“The ‘idea’ of being an entrepreneur”
Originally posted in our November 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. As we think more about creating an entrepreneurial culture, we must consider various ways to promote the behavior. For example, in a recent blog from Matt Clancy, we see more evidence that social influence promotes entrepreneurship. In this piece, we see that entrepreneurial co-workers increase the likelihood of entrepreneurial activity in us. And, it is even more likely if we have other things in common such…
Read more“Workplace Peers and Entrepreneurship”
Originally posted in our November 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. In Complexity Leadership Theory, we assume that an organization has a bureaucratic and an entrepreneurial system. But what if there isn’t a formalized system for entrepreneurship? How can leaders develop entrepreneurial skills in their teams? As suggested by a Harvard Business School working paper, one solution is to look to the previous work experience of your employees. The paper’s authors have found that who your co-workers…
Read more“Complexity Leadership Theory: Shifting from Human Capital to Social Capital”
Originally posted in our November 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. When we examine current Human Resource practices, we see a keen focus on competency-based, human capital initiatives. While human capital is worth developing, new research suggests we may want to emphasize another set of skills. Social capital, it seems, can have as much to do with innovation and growth in an organization as the skills of individuals. As this paper defines it, social capital is “the…
Read more“Ethics Pays”
October 28, 2021
Originally posted in our October 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. “Is good ethics good for business? Crime and sleazy behavior sometimes pay off handsomely. People would not do such things if they didn’t think they were more profitable than the alternatives.” With topics of climate change, societal inequity, and governance at the forefront of many big thinkers’ minds, we need to talk about the role of ethics in business. This piece suggests that while unethical behavior…
Read more