Because of the rapidly accelerating pace of change in global business today, C-level executives in all size companies need to respond quickly to changes in their business climate. Thus, executives have to be aware, not only of their own external environment, but also they have to immerse themselves in their industries, and to look at society -- both nationally and globally. By understanding where changes come from or what changes to make, executives can take advantage of new opportunities. Meanwhile, executives must also focus on innovation and entrepreneurship in order to be successful. In fact, the Carnegie Mellon MBA programs looks at innovation in organizations, ranging from startups to the Fortune 500 companies.
In this podcast, Dr. Art Boni, the director of the Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, talks about how entrepreneurial leadership and innovative drive corporate growth. (Boni also holds the John R. Thorne Chair of Entrepreneurship at the Tepper School of Business.) He says that to achieve this, executives need to understand their market, and their customer needs, and then to develop strategies for going forward. He says, "Companies also need to have good leadership because a strategy without a good team to execute it won't go very far." Boni views corporate strategy as an integral part of innovation and success for any organization. He adds that good integration of information across the enterprise can help executives better execute their strategies and move the company forward.
Dr. Boni has solid experience to back up what he teaches and preaches. Before getting his doctorate and becoming a full-time professor, Boni pursued an entrepreneurial career in the private sector. He joined Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) after its startup period and become part of the senior management team that built the company to $700 million in revenues. Today, SAIC is an $8 billion technology conglomerate. He also founded and served as CEO of a technology incubator, and four companies in technology and life sciences.
Bio
Dr. Art Boni holds the John R. Thorne Chair of Entrepreneurship and is the director of the Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. His teaching interests include entrepreneurship, commercializing technology and biotechnology, and corporate innovation. Dr. Boni spent most of his career as an entrepreneur in technology and in life sciences. He received a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego. He left a tenure track appointment in the Dept. of Engineering and Applied Science at Yale University to embark on an entrepreneurial career.
Resources
Pittsburgh Business Times - Write a Development Plan
BusinessWeek - The Art of the Start
Production Credits
Elizabeth Ferrarini, Executive Producer
5AlarmMusic.com Production Music Library for Broadcast, Film, Video & Post Production
