Not seeing the forest for the trees? A systems approach to the entrepreneurial university

Bernd Wurth (), Niall G. MacKenzie and Susan Howick
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Bernd Wurth: University of Glasgow
Niall G. MacKenzie: University of Glasgow
Susan Howick: University of Strathclyde

Small Business Economics, 2024, vol. 63, issue 2, No 7, 24 pages

Abstract: Abstract The idea and practice of the entrepreneurial university has emerged in response to growing expectations of universities contributing to economic development and has, in turn, been subject to a growing body of research. However, much of the work is focused on individual activities or institutions, typically overemphasising commercialisation activities and certain types of universities. Furthermore, much of this research is de-contextualised and does not consider the systems in which universities operate. As a result, we have a variety of unit theories of constituent parts of the entrepreneurial university without considering the wider (feedback) effects and implications — in other words: we are, in effect, not seeing the forest for the trees. Drawing on in-depth quantitative and qualitative field work and the literature, we develop a programmatic theory of the entrepreneurial university and the institutionalised entrepreneurial activities. Using causal loop diagrams, we capture the systemness and the interdependencies between universities’ entrepreneurial activities and their dynamic capabilities. The model highlights how universities are part of a larger system and how this influences their external engagement activities. The result is a more holistic understanding of entrepreneurial universities that reconciles existing work and guides future research. We discuss practical implications and policy levers derived from this systemic perspective.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial universities; Academic entrepreneurship; Dynamic capabilities; System dynamics; Causal loop diagrams (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 L14 O31 O34 O36 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s11187-023-00864-1

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