I love the month of September – not merely because it’s the month in which I was born but also because it’s that time of the year when a new academic year begins all around the world. I’m happy to announce that three years after obtaining an Executive MBA from Lagos Business School, I’m returning to the realm of academia to obtain my terminal degree – a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Management, with a concentration in Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship.
Why Pursue a Doctorate: Intellectual Curiosity
The purpose of doctoral research is to conduct innovative research into an identified research problem and make an original contribution to literature. As a doctoral candidate, I look forward to learning the craft of research and pursuing my interest in entrepreneurship from an academic perspective. Post-graduation, I hope the degree will provide opportunities to give back to society through teaching, speaking, writing and consulting.
Researching Transformational Entrepreneurship
My research will focus on ‘’transformational entrepreneurship.’’ According to a 2012 Harvard Business Review article by Max Marmer, transformational entrepreneurs earn their name by creating innovative solutions to the world’s biggest problems that are scalable, sustainable and systematic. To ground this idea, the matrix below positions Transformational Entrepreneurship, Technology Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship on the landscape of socioeconomic value creation.
Examples of real-life transformational entrepreneurs include Dr. Shannon May of Bridge International Academies and Govindappa Venkataswamy of Aravind.
Reactivating My Literary Muscles
One of the upsides of getting a doctorate is that I anticipate spending a great deal of time flexing my dormant literary muscles. I wrote my first book when I was eight years old and since then, my love of the written word has been an integral facet of my personality.
I will be sharing my thoughts on entrepreneurship and the research process on my personal website: www.gloryenyinnaya.com. (Sign up to download the Entrepreneurship Roadmap). Look out for my entrepreneurial musings on BusinessDay, the Enterprise Development Centre’s SME Toolkit and FATE Foundation’s MSME Hub.
If you have questions on entrepreneurship or just want to discuss an idea, you can schedule a mentoring session with me on Kleos Africa.
Here’s to crossing the chasm between the town and the gown!
