Peter Mellalieu introduces a new course in February 2012 comprising part of the Unitec Master of Business, MBus.
What is innovation? What do we need innovation? … Is innovation more than inventing an unconventional product, or creating a new service or process?
How do innovations get created? … What are the factors associated with success and failure?
What are the roles of leadership, enterprise, creativity, and design in the process of innovation?
Do you have ‘the right stuff’ to innovate an enterprise? …. Are you motivated to ‘make a difference’?
This short video (3 min) introduces several propositions that begin a journey towards answering these questions. If these propositions ‘strike a chord’ with you, then come join Peter’s learning adventure!
At Unitec, I follow these practices in my first-year teaching:
Provide students with a template ‘scaffold’ that demonstrates good practice in writing a Formal Executive Report
Distribute Unitec’s written policy explaining what constitutes academic dishonesty
Verbally refer to the policy in class
Utilise Turnitin.com for all assignment at risk of dishonest practice. (Turnitin is an anti-cheating technology)
Refuse to grade assignments until they have been submitted to to Turnitin
Provide students with practice uploading a draft assignment to Turnitin, and reporting to them the result from Turnitin
Alerting students with high ‘practice’ Turnitin scores that they have a problem. I guide them to sources of advice for correct referencing, citation, quotation, and paraphrasing.
Prosecute vigorously those students found to be copying material dishonestly.
This approach appears to have reduced the degree of blatant assignment copying in my class from 6 out of 40 students to 1 out of 40 students in my most recent semester.
This course introduces you to the systematic processes of innovation management, creativity, new venture creation, and entrepreneurship. These processes are essential for the successful growth and development of a variety of organisational forms including: corporates, small-medium enterprise (SMEs), and start-up ventures. Consequently, this course presumes that the skills of a entrepreneur are required as much within a corporate setting as in a stand-alone start-up venture. Furthermore, this course is ABSOLUTELY NOT about administering a small business.
The course is also unique in helping you identify the strengths and talents that you possess for working within an enterprising team – as innovator, entrepreneur, leader, or team contributor. Consequently, by the course’s conclusion, you will have created a personalised action plan and learning agenda that will guide the progress of your future academic studies and professional development.
Innovators and entrepreneurs imagine and create the future. They create the future by making new things happen. They act and think differently compared with most “normal” people. Sometimes they are the brightest kids at school. They are equally likely to be the “troublemakers” who are invited to leave school as early as the ‘laws of the land’ permit! Until recently, they rarely studied formal courses in entrepreneurship! You will meet many of these kinds of people in this class.
How do the most successful entrepreneurs learn? Many entrepreneurs take great risks: many fail. Reason: they don’t know what they don’t know. However, skilled entrepreneurs with “the right stuff” pursue risky, but well-managed ventures that most “normal” people would avoid. In the long-run, these entrepreneurs succeed. They succeed creating new venture after new venture. In consequence, these ‘serial’ entrepreneurs and innovators “do good” for the world and/or create massive wealth. What is “the right stuff” that entrepreneurs possess? Can you also acquire “the right stuff” – or recognise it in others? These are questions we will explore in this course.
New Zealand’s political and business leaders inform us that our country faces two challenges as a nation to “catch up with Australia by 2025”. First, we must increase our nation’s productivity. Second, we must increase our rate of innovation. Most nations are “running hard in the same race”. Can we ever catch up with the Australians? The Swedish? The Chinese? The Americans? How?
The smartest innovators ask “Can we run in a different race? … a better race? … a race with rules to our advantage?” These radical innovators join new venture teams to make their dream come true. In some cases, these teams may be lead by an entrepreneur.
In many cases, the innovator works within a corporate or not-for-loss enterprise with new venture leaders. For instance, these corporate teams launch new products, new services, expand to new geographic markets, introduce new technological processes or work practices. Consequently, learning how to work with those people who unleash their passion for innovation is an essential requirement in all modern organisations.
Online learning site for BSNS 5391 (Video) – YouTube. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD8TlEhQQC4&feature=youtube_gdata_playerMellalieu, P. J. (2011, July 18).
Course handbook for Unitec BSNS 5391 Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Video). Retrieved July 18, 2011, from http://vimeo.com/26564519
Change in New Zealand sectoral greenhouse gas emissions 1990 − 2007. Image via Wikipedia
Unitec students and staff have embarked on an innovative programme focussed on helping medium and small enterprise owners advance their journey towards ‘greening the business’. Every two weeks from August, business owners from Rosebank Business Association are invited to participate in an Enterprise GreenWorks™ (EGW) session focussed exclusively on developing promising pathways to guide a ‘guest’ business towards environmentally sustainable business processes and products. During the half-day Enterprise GreenWorks session, a new venture project team is established involving staff from the business and members from Unitec. Think of the reality TV show ‘The Apprentice’ adapted so that no one gets fired, but the earth gets saved … and a better profit is made compared with ‘business-as-usual’!
Source: Frederick & Chittock, 2008.
Several years ago a Unitec survey of Rosebank Business Association (RBA) members established that 22 per cent of respondents sought education and training support for ‘greening the business’ (Frederick & Chittock, 2008). A more recent national survey has found that despite the economic downturn certain types of businesses have continued to deepen their deployment of green business practices. For example, between 2003 and 2010 medium and especially larger companies have doubled their focus on being more selective about their suppliers (Collins et al, 2010). Despite the recession, this trend has continued to strengthen since 2006 so that by 2010 more than 30 per cent of firms larger than 99 employees use environmental criteria as part of their selection of suppliers.
Source: Collins et al, 2010
However, in contrast to these ‘greening’ trends, most small businesses have retreated from their earlier commitments to environmentally sustainable business practices. Also, their practices are typically very narrowly limited to recycling and environmental impact analysis. Professor Collins and her colleagues at Waikato Management School argue that a ‘sustainability divide’ is now growing between between most small businesses (less than 10 employees) and other businesses that have recognised the value and strategic imperative for ‘greening their business’.
Source: Collins et al, 2010.
Since 2008, teachers at Unitec Institute of Technology have begun to respond to Rosebank business’ call for graduates who understand that ‘greening the business’ is much more than reducing waste and recycling. For example, students in Unitec introductory business course BSNS 5391 Innovation and Entrepreneurship learn from New Zealand and world-class examples of eco-innovation and eco-enterprise.
In a recent class exercise, students learned how a three-year systematic programme of design-led ‘cradle-to-cradle’ thinking applied in Wellington-based Formway Furniture lead to the creation of the Life office chair. The chair has gained remarkable success in world markets for its innovative functional features and green credentials. Amongst its many new-to-market features, the Life Chair was constructed from both recycled and natural materials and designed for ease of refurbishing in the event of an office interior decor redesign. Licensed to Knoll, a leading US furniture company, the Life chair has generated sales of $500 million (Macfie, 2011; McClaren, 2008; Ministry for the Environment, 2007).
In early May this year, Unitec business students interviewed Robb Donzé, Managing Director for InteraceNZ, the New Zealand distributor for modular carpet tile systems manufactured by US-based multinational Interface Global. Under the helm of industrial engineer and founding entrepreneur Ray Anderson, Interface has achieved ‘legendary’ status in terms of its ingenious innovations in environmental practice and products. Remarkably, the company began as a typical 20th century industrial manufacturing company with no special interest in taking care of the natural environment apart from complying with environmental legislation. In the words of Ray Anderson, the company is on a mission to climb ‘Mount Sustainability’ achieving a zero ecological footprint by 2020. Coincidentally, the Unitec students saw practical proof of this type of product in their new student common room in the business studies building.
Green thinking in the business curriculum at Unitec is regarded increasingly as a core component, rather than something ‘added on’ as an optional extra. Developing from their studies in the introductory Innovation and Entrepreneurship course, final year studies require each student to examine critically the competitive strategies of a business to assess the risks and opportunities faced from market, technological, legal, and other factors including emerging green issues. Students then proceed to develop risk mitigation and/or opportunity development strategies for the business within the overall context of its competitive position and strategic ambitions. Rosebank businesses are especially welcome to invite Unitec students to engage in this student project work.
Unitec industrial technologist Peter Mellalieu notes that “Our students enter our courses expecting that ‘greening the business’ is hard work and reduces profit. Through exposure to real business examples, my students are surprised and delighted that there are both new start-up and long-established companies using ‘green thinking’ as a core process for stimulating creativity. The creative thinking inspired by ‘green thinking’ leads to win-win outcomes for the business and the environment. The new Enterprise GreenWorks program integrates these – and other Unitec green initiatives – in an exciting learning adventure beneficial to Rosebank Business Association members and their future employees and entrepreneurs from Unitec”.
Example of an Enterprise GreenWorks episode (Video: Massey University, 1997)
Enterprise GreenWorks™ is a trade mark of MyndSurfers Ltd.
An abridged version first published as:
Mellalieu, P. J. (2011, May). Greening your business with Unitec. Roundabout – Newsletter of the Rosebank Business Association, (61), 7.
Further reading
Anderson, R. C., & White, R. (2011). Business Lessons from a Radical Industrialist. St. Martin’s Griffin.
Collins, E., Lawrence, S., Roper, J., & Haar, J. (2010). Business sustainability practices during the recession: The Growing Sustainability Divide. Hamilton, NZ: Waikato Management School, University of Waikato. Retrieved from http://www.management.ac.nz/sustainabilitydivide
Elements of an Enterprise MasterWorks (EMW) learning adventure. (1997). . Palmerston North, NZ: Massey University Television Production Centre. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYya4gfcxs4&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Enterprise GreenWorks – 2011-1 Part 1: Overture and Interview [video]. (2011). . Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NiB20ERj9c&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Frederick, H., & Chittock, G. (2008). Human resource strategies for training and education in the Rosebank business precinct. Auckland, NZ: Unitec Institute of Technology.
McLaren, J. (2008). Life Cycle Management – Sustainability and society bridging piece [Case study of Formway Furniture]. Wellington, New Zealand: Landcare Research. Retrieved from http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/publications/researchpubs/LCM_Briefing.pdf#search=%22mclaren%22
Mellalieu, P. J. (2011a, May 7). The Master’s Challenge: Ecotec’s “Green Op” fund. Innovation & chaos … in search of optimality. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from http://pogus.tumblr.com/post/4411593536/the-masters-challenge-ecotecs-green-op-fund
Mellalieu, P. J. (2011b, April 7). Enterprise GreenWorks – 2011-1 Part 1: Overture and Interview. Innovation & chaos … in search of optimality. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from http://pogus.tumblr.com/post/4411050625/enterprise-greenworks-2011-1-part-1-overture
Ministry for the Environment. (2007). Sustainable Design at Formway Furniture (INFO 182). Ministry for the Environment. Retrieved from http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/sus-dev/case-study-sustainable-design-at-formway-furniture-feb07/
