Exploring New Combinations in Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Mark Dodgson - Essay Example

?The Critique of an Academic Paper The term entrepreneur is used to describe a person that organises and operates one or more businesses through taking a financial risk. Josiah Wedgwood was a focused entrepreneur whose primary focus was in the pottery industry of the first industrial revolution. According to the article, he derived his competitive advantage from the high demand of innovations and the industrial revolution that had enhanced the practise of enhancing the use of technology. The essay below is a critique of Wedgwood’s role as an entrepreneur in the article “Exploring new combinations in innovation and entrepreneurship: social networks, Schumpeter, and the case of Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795)” by Mark Dodgson. The article’s argument that entrepreneurs should have, “the will to conquer: the impulse to fight, to prove oneself superior to others, to succeed for the sake, not of the fruits of success, but of success itself” exaggerates the true nature of a successful entrepreneur (33). This is because the environment and the goals that an entrepreneur has set determine the level of the will applied and the willingness to fight. Wedgwood plays his role as an entrepreneur through application of the skills of hard work, focus, obsessive, demanding and intellectually curious (7). He had a vision of pioneering innovations that would enhance the status of entrepreneurship. Commencing the entrepreneurship skills at 11 shows Wedgwood’s potential of becoming a great entrepreneur in future. He overcame many challenges that threatened his quest to enhance his entrepreneurship prowess. This implies that the urge to become a successful entrepreneur should not be limited by any form of challenges including disabilities. This is because entrepreneurial innovations can never be successful unless they overcome life challenges. Possession of a weakened knee due to small pox he suffered during his early childhood implied that Wedgwood could not turn a Potter’s wheel (8). In fact, he had to watch as his knee was amputated without the help of anaesthetics after it hampered his ability to apply and harness his entrepreneurial skills. The courage to have even his own body organ eliminated due to its negative impact on his life passion implies that he has the ability to overcome any challenges in the enhancement of his entrepreneurial skills. However, this could be unsustainable if the challenges being eliminated are ethical and beneficial to other people. Entrepreneurship is a passion that is not limited by time constraints. Entrepreneurs should apply their skills and expertise at a tender age. Although the article represents the rhetoric of a successful entrepreneur, it is crucial to point out that successful entrepreneurs do not always wait to attain a certain age period for them to venture into business i.e. 24 years in Wedgwood’s case (7). The fact that he started being a potter at the age of 11 implies that Wedgwood should have commenced his quest for attainment of his life dream at a younger age. Being a successful entrepreneur does not require sufficient flow of financial resources for commencement. The article stipulates that Wedgewood’s father allocated meagre financial resources in his will but he managed to beat all odds and became a successful entrepreneur. However, this does not imply that resources are not necessary for laying the perfect foundation for the establishment of a successful career and entrepreneurial skills. Availability of resources enables an entrepreneur to acquire the necessary equipment required in enhancing new ideas. It is also imperative for entrepreneurs to collude with other like-minded innovators to enhance their entrepreneurship skills. For instance, the article points out that Wedgwood formed a partnership with Thomas Whieldon, an eminent Potter. This enabled him to gain access to experienced potters that provided him with the competent skills in their respective fields. However, one should be careful of the type of people that they partner with because some may be detractors and ill-willed. Additionally, most entrepreneurs stand a better chance of skill advancement without entering into partnerships. For instance, the partnership between Wedgwood and Whieldon lasted for five years during which he attained the necessary skills required to establish his own business (8). Successful entrepreneurs are conscious of the reality that their skills are enhanced through colluding and working with other experienced entrepreneurs. Therefore, they have the responsibility of respecting the skills of the people working under them and not apply the principle that, “The entrepreneur, the master, makes all his workmen’s skills his own.”(8) Although an entrepreneur is charged with exerting control on his business, success cannot be realised unless they are supported. Efficient support can only be attained from close and trustworthy people who understand the dynamics of the business. Wedgwood involved his family in the management of his factory through employing many relatives and seeking advice from his wife and daughter. According to the article, he stresses the importance of involving the family members through describing his wife’s input “I speak from experience in Female taste, without which I should not have made but a poor figure amongst my Potts, not one of which of any consequence, is finished without the Approbation of my Sally.”(9) Marrying a distant cousin implied that Wedgwood had a reason to be trustworthy of his wife in expediting the strategies required in enhancing the business. Sarah proved to be an invaluable partner as well as an indispensable helpmate to Wedgwood. She contributed to the success of the business through nursing his leg, writing up his experiments, and acting as the secretary, and advised the husband on issues related to shapes, ceramic wares and decoration. Sally also brought fortune to the family that helped to finance the construction of the Etruria works, Etruria Hall and the family home. Acquiring approval from a trusted companion provides the entrepreneur with the confidence required in application of the correct procedures for improving performance. Although Sally suffered from rheumatism, she bore eight children and even outlived her husband by twenty years. The fact that the children used the wealth that their father amassed responsibly implies that his wife had a crucial input in ensuring that they grew up as responsible citizens. However, the same measure will apply if the wrong advice is provided i.e. it could have detrimental effects. Therefore, an entrepreneur should thoroughly articulate the type of advice provided regardless of the source. Successful entrepreneurs should also be able to incorporate technology in their businesses. For instance, the article stipulates that the technological contribution of Wedgwood occurred in the context of the changing market situations. He is described as, “ardent experimentalist from the early years of his apprenticeship, and convinced his cousins to invest in his first factory on the basis of his research abilities.” (11) However, an entrepreneur should not rely on technology wholly in the enhancement of the business. It is worthwhile to realise that the effectiveness of the technology applied is dependent on the human skills applied. Conclusion Wedgwood displays the characteristics of an efficient entrepreneur. He portrays entrepreneurship as a passion that is not limited by time constraints, does not require sufficient flow of resources for start-off and requires cooperation and incorporates technology. Reference Dodgson, M. (2011) ‘Exploring new combinations in innovation and entrepreneurship: Social networks, Schumpeter, and the case of Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795),’ Industrial and Corporate Change, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 1119-1151. Read More