Entrepreneurial learning and creativity in the moment Professor David Rae Lincoln Business School...

Entrepreneurial learning and creativity in the

moment

Professor David RaeLincoln Business SchoolUniversity of Lincoln

drae@lincoln.ac.uk

Professor David Rae• Entrepreneurship researcher, educator & writer• Career in small business, government & higher education• Entrepreneurial learning: PhD & publications 1999-2012• Director of Enterprise & Innovation, Lincoln Business School, University of Lincoln• Editor, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research: ‘human & social dynamics of entrepreneurship’ • Optimist, based on human creativity & potential for learning

davidrae.org.ukdrae@lincoln.ac.uk

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Recall a ‘special moment’

Think back to a significant moment in your experience of life, learning or work

This may be anything memorable for you: An event A meeting A conversation An idea A decision A good or bad experience

Recall a ‘special moment’

Thinking of that significant moment…. What happened? How did you feel? What makes it special/memorable? How did it affect you subsequently? What did you do as a result? Share your story

Entrepreneurial Learning

How Entrepreneurs learn and create new business

opportunities

The ‘moment’:

A point in time when we experience conscious mental awareness of what is going on within our mind, or around us, and we are aware and able to remember our thinking and responses.

Its meaning is related to the human experience and generation of meaning in a conscious attention span of subjective duration.

Moments: truth & lightbulbs….Ernest Hemingway: The moment when the matador confronts the bull prior to the kill ‘momento de la verdad’(‘Death in the Afternoon’)

‘Lightbulb’ or ‘aha’ moment:Conscious realisation ofcreative inspiration

Why moments matter

We focus much of the time on ‘the future’ or ‘the past’ Most decisions and actions happen ‘now’- often without time to think! We behave authentically in the moment: intuition & instinct

The ‘aha’ or ‘Eureka’ discovery moment Recognising opportunities ‘Moments of truth’ - interactions, customers, competitors

Value created & captured by digital eye-brain interactions: Twitter messages Website visits Email, social media, messaging

Moments can become critical turning points in personal narratives of learning & identity

‘Momentary perspectives’ increasingly matter in understanding entrepreneurial opportunity recognition, behaviour & learning

A range of theoretical perspectives on the moment… Philosophy & time: Bergson, James, Husserl, Adam Literature & narrative: Polkinghorne, Sartre, Ricoeur Education & learning: Pillemer, Giordano, Bedeian Cognition & neuroscience: Banks & Isham, Damasio,

Beeman & Kounios Organisational studies: Czarniawska, Shotter, Weick Entrepreneurship: Cope, Rae, Dew, Krueger, Kollmann

& Kuckertz

These are examples from a wide field of knowledge

Research framework

Moment: ‘a point in time, an instant’; ‘a turning point in a series of events’.

Q1: Is the moment significant in relation to processes of entrepreneurial learning and creativity?

Q2: Can a useful model be developed to understand ‘momentary perspectives’ in entrepreneurial learning?

Entrepreneurial learning Enterprise & entrepreneurship are increasingly prevalent at all educational levels but hard to ‘teach’. Entrepreneurial learning is a natural & social process within both everyday practice and formal education. Centred on creating, discovering, recognising and acting on opportunities. Connects personal emergence (confidence & identity) and capability development (skills & behaviours). Moments of serendipity, ‘discovery’, ‘crisis’ & ‘decision’ fit well with a naturalistic approach to entrepreneurial learning

Enterprise and entrepreneurship education: Guidance for UK higher education providers

Final version issued September 2012

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/enterprise-guidance.pdf

Entrepreneurial effectiveness

Research method

Online survey of entrepreneurs & educators

Questions Recall a ‘special moment’ from your experience This may be anything memorable, such as :

An event, meeting, conversation An idea, seeing an opportunity, a decision A good or bad experience

Can you remember what happened? What makes it special/memorable for you now? How did it affect you at the time? What did you do as a result? Share your ‘special moment’

Quick survey: types of moments reported by entrepreneurs

Special moments

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%

Problem or incident

Creative inspiration

Opportunityrecognition

Social encounter

Discovery of newknowledge

Common types of entrepreneurial moments

Creativity – inspirational association forming a new idea Innovation – application of idea to a practical situation Opportunity – potential or actual position of advantage Problem – disadvantage, mistake or setback Encounter – social interaction, meeting or social

connection Insight – realisation of new knowledge Intuition– ‘knowing’ at a subconscious or ‘gut’ level Judgement – making a decision or choice Resolution – intention to act

Creative

Idea

Inspiration

Opportunity

Problem

Future possibility

Innovation

Encounter

Social interaction

Meeting

Discovery

New knowledge

Learning

Innovation

Entrepreneurial moments & responses

Emotion

Feelings

Positive: liking, pleasure, trust

Negative: fear, dislike

Cognition

Add to/draw on memory

New knowledge

Learning

Identity

Being: who you are & aspire to be

Narrative: story you tell

Action

Knowing what & how to act

Behaviour

Impact & self-awareness

Judgement!

Incident!

Generatingmeaning

Acting

Perceiving

Consciousattention

Subconsciousawareness

Conscious awareness in the moment

Being in the moment

Past recollections Future anticipations

Narrative timeHow do pastexperiences help makesense of the moment?

What is likely to happen?What future possibilities & opportunities are there?What action can I take?

Experiential memory Prospective imagination

Kairotic time: eventsChronos time: linear

Perceiving

MeaningActing

Being in the moment

Past recollections Future anticipations

Narrative timeHow do pastexperiences help makesense of the moment?

What is likely to happen?What future possibilities & opportunities are there?What action can I take?

Experiential memory Prospective imagination

Kairotic time: eventsChronos time: linear

Perceiving

MeaningActing

Social interactions

BehavioursTalk

Sensory perceptionsVisual, hearing, touchtaste, smell

SubconsciousInstinctiveIntuitiveEmotionFeeling

ConsciousRealisationReflectionIntention Instant

DeferredVerbalPhysical

Moments in teaching & learning Can educators create ‘special moments’? The value of learners reflecting on special moments &

building these into their narratives: Enabling learners to capture, share, learn within & from

special moments And to perceive, judge & act effectively in the moment? Using technology to share moments – twitter, blogs Building understanding of entrepreneurial behaviour

through momentary perspectives

Conclusions

Momentary perspectives can offer new understandings of entrepreneurial learning behaviour, creativity, & transformative action

Connects with philosophical & cognitive science perspectives

‘Moments of truth’ are often turning points in learners’ narrative accounts

Unconscious processes of intuition, instinct & emotion are significant in creativity, decision-making & opportunity recognition behaviours

Educators can elicit & use momentary perspectives in entrepreneurship education

Entrepreneurial Learning

Comments & questions welcome…..

Research paper available at:

http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/7088/

Slides available from: drae@lincoln.ac.uk