The Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship partnered with the Foundation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (FIED) at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kashipur to organise an entrepreneurship conference at IIM Kashipur from December 15 to 18. The conference saw the participation of around 70 early career researchers and 50 SMEs.
The conference started with a doctoral workshop led by Dr Sreevas Sahasranamam, associate professor at the Hunter Centre. This workshop focussed on discussing good practice for developing top-quality journal articles, followed by students pitching their early-stage paper ideas for developmental feedback.
This was complemented by a 'Meet the Editors' session where editors of leading entrepreneurship and innovation journals offered students advice on the expectation of top journals and best practice to follow while engaging in the journal review process. The journals represented in the panel included International Small Business Journal, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Business & Society, Technology Forecasting & Social Change, and International Journal of Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
Around 70 research papers were submitted for this conference, and the top 26 papers selected after a rigorous review process were presented at the conference. Dr Sreevas Sahasranamam, co-lead of the conference said, "Entrepreneurship is now in an exponential growth phase and it is important that we have an engaged academic scholarship on the topic that will both learn from and influence practice and policy. This conference focussed on developing such engaged academic scholars”.
Dr Safal Batra, associate professor at IIM Kashipur and Managing Director of FIED said, “This partnership with Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship will help to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Uttarakhand.”
The conference also had an Entrepreneurial Mindset workshop for SMEs in India, which was led by Dr Lucrezia Casulli and Dr Suzanne Mawson from the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship. This saw the participation of 50 SME owners engaging in a range of experiential activities aimed at developing a growth mindset and overcoming the fear of failure.
Dr Mawson said, “Part of the cultural change needed to support entrepreneurial activity is one where people have a shared understanding that mistakes and setbacks are normal and transient. This message is core to the Growth Mindset. Having a Growth Mindset means that people are not afraid to try because they see mistakes as learning opportunities. Expecting people to look perfect at all times stifles entrepreneurial action.”
Dr Lucrezia Casulli added,"Fear of failure does not have to stop entrepreneurial action. Just like any other emotion, fear can be harnessed and turned into a motivator that spurs entrepreneurs on. The secret is to understand which beliefs underpin such fears and challenge those beliefs. But it is not enough to believe in oneself – people need to be able to believe that they are supported by those around them and by institutions.”
Professor Kulbhushan Balooni, Director, IIM Kashipur said, “We are lucky to have the Hunter Center of Entrepreneurship join hands to conduct this conference which was very well received by the participants and experts involved. While the conference and 'meet the editors' sessions initiated a culture of research-based conversations around entrepreneurial ecosystems among researchers, the paper development workshop for