Review: The guest lectures of Prof. Lian Dumouchel

Prof. Lian Dumouchel from the Canadian Thompson Rivers University was welcomed at the master course "Entrepreneurial Networks and Startup Management".

21. April 2021 - "Building Innovation Networks" and "Creating New Market Spaces"

‘Clusters’ and the ‘New Economics of Competition’ are relevant for building innovation networks. Clusters play an important role in terms of building competitive strength as they can increase productivity of companies in the area, drive the direction and pace of innovation, and stimulate the formation of new businesses. Swarm intelligence has become a promising means for creating new businesses or new market spaces. It refers to collective efforts with no central ownership in following a mutual goal and often results in spurring exciting and valuable innovation. Collaborative Innovation Networks (COIN) represent a more business-driven approach to swarm intelligence, also referring to a New Organizational form. COINs can be defined as self-organizing groups of highly motivated individuals that work together towards a common goal. Two well-known examples of COINs are flickr, an image hosting and video hosting service platform or Wikidpedia, a free online encyclopedia.

28. April 2021 - "Opportunity Recognition" and "Evaluating Entrepreneurial Opportunities"

In this lecture, Prof Dumouchel introduced design thinking processes and creative problem solving strategies. She discussed the Stanford Business School ‘Design Thinking Process’. One central approach when seeking to generate new business ideas refers to ‘IDEATION – Creative Problem Solving’. Business innovations are more likely to be successful in the long run, if they follow the principle of a ‘problem worth solving’ and ‘find a solution worth building’. Five levels to screen for opportunities or ‘problems worth solving’ include the societal level (PEST analysis), industry level (Porter’s Five Forces), market level (Market Profile Analysis), and firm level (SWOT analysis).

5. May 2021 - "Business Setup, Startup and Growth"

Prof Dumouchel introduced theories on startup growth and the transition from an entrepreneur to a CEO. During this lecture, she elaborated on a venture’s typical lifecycle including the phases of ‘new venture development’, ‘startup activities’, ‘venture growth’, ‘business stabilization’, and ‘innovation or decline’. The question how ventures lead through the different lifecycles is largely dependent on their leadership style and the quality of leaderhip, which mutually shape an organization’s sustainability. The transition from a venture to an entrepreneur can be challenging. Self-awareness excercises such exercises based on the DISC model can help overcome this challenge by exploring and better understanding one’s own communication style. DISC is a behavioural assessment tool developed by American psychologist William Marston in the 1920s. It refers to the personality factors ‘direct / dominance’, ‘influencing’, ‘stabilizing / steadiness’, and ‘conscientious / compliance’ and gives insight into leadership potential, attitude to change, and the ability to work with other people.

The digital international guest professorship was financed by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts.