Creating an Enterprise Culture in a University

Abstract

The ‘entrepreneurial university’ is considered a desirable and achievable goal, but how do universities become entrepreneurial? The role of the enterprising academic in stimulating cultural change is often overlooked. This article presents as a case study the teaching team at the University of Derby, UK, who ‘acted as entrepreneurs’ for five years to stimulate enterprising learning across the university. The analysis provides insights into cultural change in a modern regional university. The authors explore three questions: how can a university develop an entrepreneurial culture, how can entrepreneurial teachers stimulate cultural change, and are there general learning points to be gained from the experience at the University of Derby? The process of developing an enterprising culture in a university is examined by tracing the organizational, pedagogical, systemic and behavioural changes and conflicts that arose. The authors examine the impact on a higher education institution of five years of significant growth in enterprise learning from a zero base, including the development of an enterprise curriculum, innovative learning methods, funded projects for student and community entrepreneurship, practice-based research and the formation of networks of educators, practitioners and influencers. They conclude with an account of the ‘Energizing Enterprise Education’ staff development event for the team and the university. The paper highlights the significance of the values, skills and methods of an entrepreneurial teaching team as crucial factors in the cultural change process and in addressing the inevitable conflict with the ‘base culture’.