Jim Dewald: How to prosper with entrepreneurial thinking

Joined in studio today by Jim Dewald, Dean of the Haskayne School of Business, and the author of Achieving Longevity: How Great Firms Prosper Through Entrepreneurial Thinking. Discussion guide from our conversation with Jim Dewald: 1. You say you wrote ACHIEVING LONGEVITY because you’re afraid that business leaders have lost touch with the entrepreneurial spirit that has long driven our economy. What do you mean? Why has this happened? 2. Greater efficiency is generally seen as a worthy goal – but you warn that there has been too much emphasis placed on it. How can too much efficiency be a bad thing? 3. Corporations have the kinds of resources that start-ups only dream of – so what keeps them from being entrepreneurial? 4. What is “corporate entrepreneurship”? Is it different from the entrepreneurship we visualize when we think of start-up companies? 5. The definition of entrepreneurship: Adding value. 6. What are the keys to creating an environment that will nurture innovation? 7. You say that business schools have contributed to the lack of corporate entrepreneurship. How? What can they do differently? 8. Many people think that ideas come from the “creative types” – but you say this is “poppycock.” Why? What can companies do to promote idea generation? 9. In ACHIEVING LONGEVITY, you outline three primary areas of resistance to corporate entrepreneurship. What are they? What are some keys to getting around these barriers? 10. We tend to think that we live in a time of great change – but you disagree. Why? What kinds of truly transformative change do you see on the horizon? Find Jim Dewald’s book here: About Jim Dewald: Jim is the author of ACHIEVING LONGEVITY: How Great Firms Prosper Through Entrepreneurial Thinking. He is the dean of the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business and an associate professor in strategy and entrepreneurship. Prior to entering academe, he was active in the Calgary business community as the CEO of two major real estate development companies and a leading local engineering consulting practice, and president of a tech-based international real estate brokerage company. ###