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Entrepreneurial Management

Entrepreneurial Management

  • Faculty
  • Curriculum
  • Seminars & Conferences
  • Awards & Honors
Overview Faculty Curriculum Seminars & Conferences Awards & Honors
    • March 2023
    • Case

    Akamai Technologies: Expanding the Talent Pipeline

    By: Christopher Stanton, Lynda M. Applegate, Allison Ciechanover, Emily Grandjean and Sophie Beck

    In 2022, senior executives of Cambridge, MA-based Akamai Technologies met to consider whether and how to scale a successful technical training program. The program, Akamai Technical Academy (ATA), was launched in 2016 to address a key challenge at Akamai and in the technology industry at large—the need to create an inclusive and diverse workforce. ATA participants came from communities typically underrepresented in the tech industry. They went through six months of in-class training followed by a six-month on-the-job contract working with Akamai project teams. By early 2022, nearly 150 ATA graduates from the U.S., Poland, and Costa Rica had converted to full-time employment, and internal hiring managers were interested in recruiting future ATA graduates. Ultimately, the company wanted to build a robust and diverse global talent pipeline, as well as promote inclusion and diversity in the global technology industry. If ATA were to be a catalyst for these changes, it would need to scale. As they prepared for their meeting, the ATA executives grappled with whether and how to scale the ATA to meet growing internal demand, while also building the platform to transform Akamai and the global technology industry.

    • March 2023
    • Case

    Akamai Technologies: Expanding the Talent Pipeline

    By: Christopher Stanton, Lynda M. Applegate, Allison Ciechanover, Emily Grandjean and Sophie Beck

    In 2022, senior executives of Cambridge, MA-based Akamai Technologies met to consider whether and how to scale a successful technical training program. The program, Akamai Technical Academy (ATA), was launched in 2016 to address a key challenge at Akamai and in the technology industry at large—the need to create an inclusive and diverse workforce....

    • March 2023
    • Case

    Interior Collab

    By: Lindsay N. Hyde, Thomas R. Eisenmann and Tom Quinn

    After venture capital-funded online interior design agency Homepolish collapsed, its former freelance designers met to discuss next steps. The bitter experience led some of them to create a workers’ collaborative called Interior Collab. The founding members needed to recruit members and build a business plan – how could they do that while staying away from the traps Homepolish had fallen into?

    • March 2023
    • Case

    Interior Collab

    By: Lindsay N. Hyde, Thomas R. Eisenmann and Tom Quinn

    After venture capital-funded online interior design agency Homepolish collapsed, its former freelance designers met to discuss next steps. The bitter experience led some of them to create a workers’ collaborative called Interior Collab. The founding members needed to recruit members and build a business plan – how could they do that while staying...

    • February 2023
    • Case

    Doing Business in Nairobi, Kenya

    By: Archie Jones, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Pippa Tubman Armerding and Kuria Kamau

    This case examines the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Nairobi, Kenya. It highlights Kenya's economic transformation in the decades leading up to 2023 in the context of its history, culture, and politics. The case gives an overview of some of the main obstacles faced by businesses operating in the country and contrasting these with the efforts undertaken by the government to improve the country's business climate. This is illustrated through the discussion of a business dilemma in which Enda Sportswear is looking to grow its sales in Kenya through increased domestic production.

    • February 2023
    • Case

    Doing Business in Nairobi, Kenya

    By: Archie Jones, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Pippa Tubman Armerding and Kuria Kamau

    This case examines the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Nairobi, Kenya. It highlights Kenya's economic transformation in the decades leading up to 2023 in the context of its history, culture, and politics. The case gives an overview of some of the main obstacles faced by businesses operating in the country and contrasting these...

About the Unit

The Entrepreneurial Management Unit strives to raise the level of academic work in the field of entrepreneurship, in methodological rigor, conceptual depth, and managerial applicability. We also strive to improve the odds of entrepreneurial success for our students and for practitioners worldwide.

Because it is such a complex phenomenon, entrepreneurship must be studied through multiple lenses. We use three.

  • The process of entrepreneurship - We seek to understand the processes of entrepreneurial activity in start-ups and established firms by examining the antecedents and consequences of various forms of entrepreneurial opportunity identification and opportunity pursuit for individuals, organizations, and industries. We see experimentation and innovation in products, services, processes, and business models as central to entrepreneurial activity.
  • The finance of entrepreneurship - We seek to understand the financing of entrepreneurial ventures by studying the antecedents and consequences of entrepreneurial funding decisions both domestically and internationally.
  • The context of entrepreneurship - We seek to understand the ways in which entrepreneurs both respond to and shape the context in which they operate, by examining the history of entrepreneurship across time and national borders and by analyzing the legal and cultural contexts for managerial action.

Please also visit the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship.

Recent Publications

The Traits of Entrepreneurs

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo
  • March 2023 |
  • Technical Note |
  • Faculty Research
Entrepreneurship has the potential for extreme success but also comes with high risks. Given this risk-reward profile, we might wonder why individuals choose to become entrepreneurs. Are there personality traits that lead someone to become an entrepreneur? Can you predict entrepreneurial success? Although many questions still remain, there has been significant research on the “entrepreneurial personality.” This note provides an overview of the most frequently studied entrepreneurial traits, including the Big-5, need for achievement, locus of control, innovativeness, and risk tolerance. Where data exist, we chronicle what is correlated with a desire to be an entrepreneur and what is associated with actual success as an entrepreneur.
Keywords: Entrepreneur; Innovation; Personality; Personality Traits; Risk Preference; Big Five; Locus Of Control
Citation
Educators
Related
Tango, Jo, and Alys Ferragamo. "The Traits of Entrepreneurs." Harvard Business School Technical Note 823-099, March 2023.

Akamai Technologies: Expanding the Talent Pipeline

By: Christopher Stanton, Lynda M. Applegate, Allison Ciechanover, Emily Grandjean and Sophie Beck
  • March 2023 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
In 2022, senior executives of Cambridge, MA-based Akamai Technologies met to consider whether and how to scale a successful technical training program. The program, Akamai Technical Academy (ATA), was launched in 2016 to address a key challenge at Akamai and in the technology industry at large—the need to create an inclusive and diverse workforce. ATA participants came from communities typically underrepresented in the tech industry. They went through six months of in-class training followed by a six-month on-the-job contract working with Akamai project teams. By early 2022, nearly 150 ATA graduates from the U.S., Poland, and Costa Rica had converted to full-time employment, and internal hiring managers were interested in recruiting future ATA graduates. Ultimately, the company wanted to build a robust and diverse global talent pipeline, as well as promote inclusion and diversity in the global technology industry. If ATA were to be a catalyst for these changes, it would need to scale. As they prepared for their meeting, the ATA executives grappled with whether and how to scale the ATA to meet growing internal demand, while also building the platform to transform Akamai and the global technology industry.
Keywords: Technology Industry; United States; Boston
Citation
Educators
Related
Stanton, Christopher, Lynda M. Applegate, Allison Ciechanover, Emily Grandjean, and Sophie Beck. "Akamai Technologies: Expanding the Talent Pipeline." Harvard Business School Case 823-101, March 2023.

Interior Collab

By: Lindsay N. Hyde, Thomas R. Eisenmann and Tom Quinn
  • March 2023 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
After venture capital-funded online interior design agency Homepolish collapsed, its former freelance designers met to discuss next steps. The bitter experience led some of them to create a workers’ collaborative called Interior Collab. The founding members needed to recruit members and build a business plan – how could they do that while staying away from the traps Homepolish had fallen into?
Keywords: Business Exit or Shutdown; Business Model; Entrepreneurship; Human Capital; Growth and Development Strategy; Cooperative Ownership; Employee Ownership; Trust; Service Industry; Technology Industry; United States; New York (city, NY)
Citation
Educators
Related
Hyde, Lindsay N., Thomas R. Eisenmann, and Tom Quinn. "Interior Collab." Harvard Business School Case 823-006, March 2023.

Into the Raging Sea: Final Voyage of the SS El Faro

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Mel Martin
  • March 2023 |
  • Teaching Plan |
  • Faculty Research
Keywords: Management; Leadership Style; Crisis Management; Failure; Groups and Teams; Rank and Position; Shipping Industry; United States; Puerto Rico
Citation
Purchase
Related
Fuller, Joseph B., and Mel Martin. "Into the Raging Sea: Final Voyage of the SS El Faro." Harvard Business School Teaching Plan 323-076, March 2023.

Collab Capital Example Cases

By: Natalia Rigol
  • March 2023 |
  • Supplement |
  • Faculty Research
Citation
Purchase
Related
Rigol, Natalia. "Collab Capital Example Cases." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 823-709, March 2023.

Doing Business in Nairobi, Kenya

By: Archie Jones, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Pippa Tubman Armerding and Kuria Kamau
  • February 2023 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
This case examines the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Nairobi, Kenya. It highlights Kenya's economic transformation in the decades leading up to 2023 in the context of its history, culture, and politics. The case gives an overview of some of the main obstacles faced by businesses operating in the country and contrasting these with the efforts undertaken by the government to improve the country's business climate. This is illustrated through the discussion of a business dilemma in which Enda Sportswear is looking to grow its sales in Kenya through increased domestic production.
Keywords: Business History; Business and Government Relations; Technological Innovation; Foreign Direct Investment; Economic Growth; Financial Crisis; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Retail Industry; Kenya; Nairobi; Africa
Citation
Educators
Related
Jones, Archie, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Pippa Tubman Armerding, and Kuria Kamau. "Doing Business in Nairobi, Kenya." Harvard Business School Case 323-086, February 2023.

Doing Business in Helsinki, Finland

By: Martin A. Sinozich, Lena Duchene, Tonia Labruyere and Daniela Beyersdorfer
  • February 2023 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
This case examines the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Finland. It highlights Finland's economic transformation in the decades leading up to 2023 in the context of its history, culture, and politics. The case gives an overview of some of the main obstacles faced by businesses operating in the country, such as labor shortages, inflexibility in employment regulations, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and slowing growth, contrasting these with the efforts undertaken by the government to improve the country's business climate. This is illustrated through the discussion of a business dilemma in which the confectionary company Fazer needs to manage its exit from the Russian market while continuing its sustainability efforts in a changing industry environment.
Keywords: Business History; Business and Government Relations; Corporate Strategy; Research and Development; Foreign Direct Investment; Crisis Management; Culture; Environmental Sustainability; International Relations; Food and Beverage Industry; Finland; Europe
Citation
Educators
Related
Sinozich, Martin A., Lena Duchene, Tonia Labruyere, and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "Doing Business in Helsinki, Finland." Harvard Business School Case 323-079, February 2023.

Doing Business in New Delhi, India

By: Vikram S Gandhi and Radhika Kak
  • February 2023 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
Keywords: Business Cycles; Development Economics; Developing Countries and Economies; Economic Growth; Economic Sectors; Economy; Macroeconomics; Business History; India
Citation
Educators
Related
Gandhi, Vikram S., and Radhika Kak. "Doing Business in New Delhi, India." Harvard Business School Case 323-083, February 2023.
More Publications

In the News

    • 20 Mar 2023
    • Entrepreneur Network Podcast

    Finding Your Company's Deep Purpose

    Re: Ranjay Gulati
    • 18 Mar 2023
    • Los Angeles Times

    Is AI the Future of Hollywood? How the Hype Squares with Reality

    Re: Teresa Amabile
    • 17 Mar 2023
    • Harvard Business Review

    How “Payment Banks” Could Prevent the Next Bank Collapse

    By: Mihir Desai
→More Faculty News

HBS Working Knowledge

    • 13 Mar 2023

    What Would It Take to Unlock Microfinance's Full Potential?

    Re: Natalia Rigol & Benjamin N. Roth
    • 28 Feb 2023

    Can Apprenticeships Work in the US? Employers Seeking New Talent Pipelines Take Note

    Re: Joseph B. Fuller
    • 16 Feb 2023

    ESG Activists Met the Moment at ExxonMobil, But Did They Succeed?

    by Lane Lambert
→More Working Knowledge Articles

Harvard Business Publishing

    • Article

    Why ‘Tell Them Something They Don't Know’ Is Bad Advice in B2B Sales

    By: Frank V. Cespedes and Tracy DeCicco
    • February 2023
    • Case

    Enstitute

    By: Lindsay N. Hyde, Thomas R. Eisenmann, Kumba Sennaar and Sarah Mehta
    • 2014
    • Book

    Aligning Strategy and Sales: The Choices, Systems, and Behaviors That Drive Effective Selling

    By: Frank V. Cespedes
→More Harvard Business Publishing

Seminars & Conferences

Apr 05
  • 05 Apr 2023

Yael Hochberg, Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University

Entrepreneurial Management Seminar
→More Seminars & Conferences

Faculty Positions

Harvard Business School seeks candidates in all fields for full time positions. Candidates with outstanding records in PhD or DBA programs are encouraged to apply.
→Learn More

Contact Information

Entrepreneurial Management Unit
Harvard Business School
Rock Center
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
EM@hbs.edu

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