From: Steve_Home [mailto:
stevearmstrong@welton-lincoln.freeserve.co.uk]
"What Makes Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial?"
With reference to Bob Carr's recent comments linking cognitive style to
entrepreneurship.
A paper was presented at a recent conference in the UK which reported an
empirical study of the relationship
between cognitive style (Analysis - Intuition continuum) and entrepreneurial
predilection. Details are as follows:
A. Hird & S.J. Armstrong, (2003) Understanding the Entrepreneur: Predicting
entrepreneurial predilection using the cognitive style index. Bridging
theory and practice - 8th annual conference of the European Learning Styles
Information Network, 259-275. (ISBN 1 902034 287).
If anyone is interested then email
stevearmstrong@welton-lincoln.freeserve.co.uk for a copy .
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Carr" <
bcarr@wfubmc.edu>
To: <
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2003 4:28 PM
Subject: Re: Intuition
"What Makes Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial?"
An interesting article. I believe there is a distinct pattern of
thinking involved. Robert Bramson developed a cognitive styles
inventory, called InQ, or Inquiry Modes. If you were to contrast the
combination of Realist/Analyst thinking style with the
Realist/Pragmatist thinking style, I think you would find the
philosophical argument for the differences noted.
Bob Carr
-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Wankel [mailto:
wankelc@optonline.net]
Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 5:51 AM
To:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Re: Intuition
From: rusty rae [mailto:
rustyrae@comcast.net]
Like other business skills, intuition is something that some are more
adept at than others. You might also call it non-linear problem solving.
One of the issues is that there is little formal applied knowledge
regarding how you teach intuitive skills with the business schools. Even
the knowledge that is there is often times looked at with disdain, by
many teaching management skills, since it is less empirical. For
example, consider that entrepreneurs have a different way of thinking
about the world than the norm of MBA business managers. They appear, in
my opinion, to be able to utilize their intuitive thinking to not only
envision new products, but see the pathways to success when others are
not able. Saras D. Sarasvathy of the University of Washington and
apparently soon to be at Univesity of Maryland has done some very
interesting work on the subject. Check the following:
http://www.effectuation.org/ftp/effectua.pdf
http://www.darden.edu/batten/pdf/Saras_3views010402.pdf
http://www.xent.com/pipermail/fork/2002-May/011363.html
paxm
-rr
-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Paul Wong
Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2003 9:21 AM
To:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Re: Intuition
Here is what I have learned and experience. Good intuition is based on
the
following:
Firm grounding in ethical principles
Deep psychological insight of human nature
Solid information about the situations and the people are you working
with Broad knowledge of the world as well as the particular business you
are in Learning from the mistakes of making poor judgement in the past.
If you can combine all the above, and with a lot of practice, you are
more likely to have good intuition in decision making.
-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Lundquist
To:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Sent: 8/31/2003 7:05 AM
Subject: Re: Decisions
Colleagues,
Erwin has opened a powerfully important topic. Jack brings up "informed
intuition" as a component of management decision making. Dialog could
and probably should expand into subtopics as we explore this area.
For now, I am intrigued by "informed intuition." You see, I've spent
the last 15 years facilitating decisions by management teams in which
their intuition is distinctly wrong. Without a new decision process,
they would continue to make unproductive, sometimes even disastrous
decisions.
The particular issue comes down to blind spots. For instance, a manager
of engineering applies every ounce of learned intuition to make the best
decision on product development, yet completely ignores entire suites of
criteria brought in by needs for brand development.
Not that manager's fault - he or she was never taught about
branding.
Still, the decisions are weak at best.
As a criteria for effective decisions, let me suggest the concept of
dimensions.
We all know that it takes just three dimensions to describe the
shape of a box. X, Y, Z. Indeed, those dimensions can describe the
shape of anything inside or outside the box.
Now answer this. How many dimensions does it take to describe a
box? No, that isn't the same question. Before I asked about shape. Now
I'm asking about every characteristic of the box. Color, materials,
strength, how it opens, ability to hold water or maintain temperature,
or contain radioactivity, and on, and on.
How many dimensions does it take to define all the options of a
decision? Not an easy question.
In Jack's language, how many dimensions of "informed intuition" does it
take to make an effective decision?
In business, we tend to staff out dimensions. R&D, manufacturing,
marketing, finance, HR, and so on. Recently, the dimension of
information technology has become so important that IT is among the
first staffed in new companies.
Yet almost without fail, each department makes decisions based on
distinctly uninformed intuition. An old term is paradigms. HR makes
its decisions from an HR paradigm. Manufacturing can't understand the
language or reasoning of finance. IT seems to revel in its new jargon
and its new power, with virtually no concern for serving customers at a
profit.
Each manager could work to discover the practical core dimensions of
intuition required for effective decisions in their domain. Then they
could develop decision tools to remind themselves that, for instance,
brand is as important to commercial success as are product features.
Known dimensions can become decision tools - a form of decision
discipline.
The value of "dimension discipline" would be, in part, to overcome
uninformed intuition.
Best to all,
Gary
----------------------------
Innovation and Branding - done Strategically
Gary Lundquist - The Accelerator
303-840-9929
www.market-engineering.com
garyl@market-engineering.com
Making and keeping satisfied customers,
at a profit, over time,
in a competitive environment.
---
[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]