Tag: effectuation

entrepreneurship, transformation

Stop Bothering your Employees with Entrepreneurship

It is decided, the theme of your next company convention will be “All entrepreneurs!” You’ll talk about Google, Tesla, Facebook, plus a Chinese champion for good measure. The manager of your Lab in San Francisco will come to talk about the latest local innovations. You will show a film that will explain “the six qualities of a good entrepreneur” with rock opera music. After a closing speech by the leader who, in essence, will say that it is only a matter of courage, the roadmap will be clear.

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entrepreneurship

The power of ordinary: Lessons in entrepreneurship from Madame Tao’s Story

Amid the buzz of fundraising, pitches, startups, and hackathons, it’s easy to overlook the ordinary nature of most entrepreneurial endeavors. We tend to perceive entrepreneurs as extraordinary visionaries, assuming they possess innate greatness and a clear purpose. But the truth is far from these assumptions. The actual landscape of entrepreneurship contradicts the media’s sensational portrayal. The story of “madame” Tao Huabi is a prime example of this reality.

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entrepreneurship, transformation

Effectual leadership: How to (really) transform organizations by learning from entrepreneurs

In 1934, a visionary General De Gaulle explained how the massive use of tanks in time of war could give a decisive advantage. The tanks were known since the First World War, but they were only used as reinforcement of the infantry. De Gaulle proposed to revise this conception completely and place it at the center of the military effort. He was not listened to except by the German general Guderian who put this idea into practice successfully a few years later … against France.

The same is true for the transformation of organizations: the importance of integrating entrepreneurs has long been recognized and organizations have made efforts in this direction, but only in order to become more entrepreneurial. It is this conception that must be revisited: entrepreneurs should not just come to reinforce the existing management, but contribute to transform it by their principles of action. Let’s see how.

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entrepreneurship

Effectuation: How Entrepreneurs (Really) create new products, new organizations and new markets.

Starting a business may seem straightforward – create a compelling vision based on a groundbreaking concept, write a thorough business plan, secure funding from investors, build the company, assemble a great team, and execute a strategy to achieve global conquest. The prevailing perception of triumphant entrepreneurs often evokes notions of creativity, visionary foresight, resolute ambition, unwavering persistence, dynamism, courage, exemplary leadership, charisma, empathy, and openness to collaboration. This portrayal is akin to portraying them as modern-day superheroes-an appealing but misleading notion. In reality, the process is far less linear and heroic. It’s time to dispel these myths.

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