Designing and Developing Entrepreneurial Culture for a Small UK Based University

Abstract

An undeniable truth is the rise of status and responsibility assigned to Enterprise and Entrepreneurship within the UK Higher Education Institutions, as a means of crafting a more competitive economy. With a growing interest in this area from the Creative Industries, there is a need to articulate the entrepreneurship developments more often, and pinpoint where, how, and to what degree, design innovation management research is supporting this in a meaningful manner. It shares why the development of entrepreneurial culture has been purposefully designed and offers insight into how this has been achieved. This is to give a tangible example of design as a strategy for leadership.The case study is a reflection on practice; a contemplative dialogue on design innovation management research as agency for cultural change and development of a process of becoming an entrepreneurial university. It is an example of work undertaken to create an outward-facing, more networked entrepreneurial culture within a small UK based university, as well as leveraging adjacent cultural and economic resources as part of a more entrepreneurial ecosystem within the residing city and country. It discusses a grand-scale entrepreneurial activity within a traditionally rigid structure i.e. a University, as a means of sharing how design innovation management can be used to nudge cultural change over the medium term and beyond design’s own discipline and culture. It captures the essence of concept development using a macro lens. In addition to deploying traditional methods, the work uses a dynamic participatory process, designed to grow iteratively and deliberatively working with people as collaborators throughout. The five key learnings shared are the importance of making entrepreneurship a strategic priority; employ design as a strategy for developing an entrepreneurial culture; uphold the act of being inclusive; value a strategically activist approach, and actively manage risk using design principles.