INKOVEMA Podcast „Well through time“

#160 – Entrepreneurs are crazy, hikers too.

Crises start at high points and sometimes the only way to move on is to go down.

In conversation with Wolfgang Zimmermann

Well through time. The podcast about mediation, conflict coaching and organisational consulting.

Wolfgang Zimmermann, a graduate in business administration, experienced management consultant, leadership expert, speaker and author – and long-distance Alpine hiker.

Contents:

Management vs. entrepreneurship:

Zimmermann clarifies the fundamental difference between managers and entrepreneurs.

  • Managers operate within fixed boundaries and structures, focussing on efficiency and control, while…
  • Entrepreneurs expand or redefine these boundaries by introducing new ideas, products or business models.

Entrepreneurship is crucial for the economic progress of a society and the development of new markets. Entrepreneurs play a key role in creating jobs, increasing the rate of innovation and promoting competition.

Entrepreneurship has challenges and risks. Above all, it is a Acting in the face of uncertaintyfinancial risks and the need to violate existing norms and expectations. It is also made clear here that Entrepreneurship is always a border crosser is.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that management and entrepreneurship are by no means mere opposites, but must be kept in balance within organisations. The importance of a balance between the structured approaches of management and the creative, boundary-pushing nature of entrepreneurship. Companies that master this balance are in a position to be successful and innovative in the long term.

Sometimes you can only get further by descending.

Types of entrepreneurs

We also talk about the different types of entrepreneurs, each with unique roles and characteristics in business. These types include:

  • The creative destroyerInspired by Joseph Schumpeter's concept of „creative destruction“, this type describes entrepreneurs who replace existing products, services or business models with innovative solutions. They drive progress by destroying the old and replacing it with the new.
  • The rule breakerThis type scrutinises existing norms and rules in the market or industry and finds ways to circumvent or redefine them. Rule-breakers often pave the way for new business practices or market niches.
  • The do-gooderEntrepreneurs of this type are motivated by the desire to bring about positive change in society or the environment. Their drive is often a combination of social mission and entrepreneurial initiative, resulting in sustainable business models or products that address social problems.

This classification illustrates how entrepreneurs, through their different motivations and approaches, are pushing the boundaries of traditional management and creating new opportunities for innovation and growth. It also shows that entrepreneurship takes many forms, from pure market innovation to social engagement.

Crises begin at high points. Where else?

Source:

  • Website: Wolfgang Zimmermann (https://wolfgang-zimmermann.com/)
  • Essay: Zimmermann, Wolfgang: Unternehmer sind Verrückte: Management hat Grenzen - Unternehmertum verrückt sie, Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2014.

Entrepreneurs are crazy

How entrepreneurs overcome boundaries and what managers can learn from them

Brief description
  • "This book stands out from the multitude of literature published in recent years on the subject of family businesses. Zimmermann's achievement is not only to provide an accurate psychogram of the typical entrepreneurial personality, but also to include the entire business and family environment of our family businesses. The fact that the author has managed to combine humour and utility so easily and casually is a great literary achievement." (Prof. Dr Dr h. c. Brun-Hagen Hennerkes, Chairman of the Family Business Foundation)

"Entrepreneurs are - to paraphrase Schumpeter - creative destroyers who do not exhaust themselves. Entrepreneurs are rule-breakers and hierarchy escapees, gap finders for products, border crossers between knowledge and non-knowledge. And they usually fail before they succeed. It's good that more attention is being paid to this inexplicable and uncanny species in Germany. We need the next start-up years, smart universities and smart books. Here is one!"  (Prof Dr Stephan A. Jansen, Zeppelin University, Founding President)

The content

  • The art of stumbling into happiness: the foundation
  • Management has limits: Entrepreneurship drives them crazy
  • Love it or leave it: Entrepreneur-led companies tick differently
  • Inspire people to join in: Entrepreneurs and their view of their employees
  • Family businesses and business families: Between emotion and business
  • Don't talk, do: The value framework
  • The entrepreneur as a driver of social development
  • Interviews with successful entrepreneurs and renowned scientists

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung on „Entrepreneurs are crazy“:
„After a detailed description of entrepreneurship, the author goes into how it is currently perceived in our society in the aftermath of the financial crisis. In contrast to managers, entrepreneurs are seen as important economic pillars. According to Zimmermann, in addition to the characteristics already mentioned, this is also due to the fact that entrepreneurs can convey meaning through their actions, as they work sustainably on their life's work and are often also socially committed. In the final section, the author describes the dangers that such an existence can entail. In his opinion, one of them is that you orientate yourself too much on the familiar and thus neglect innovation. Other pitfalls can be succession planning or megalomania. In his book, Zimmermann provides plenty of food for thought for modern managers on how to think and act entrepreneurially “