As a Community dedicated to a culture of learning and building great companies, we take a keen interest into what’s going on inside the academic realm for entrepreneurs. So it’s with great pleasure that we welcome Dr. Suresh Kumar’s contribution to this discussion.
A serial immigrant entrepreneur, Dr. Kumar served as the key-founder of three successful entrepreneurial startup ventures over the past 12 years. Due to his diverse experience and by completing his doctoral dissertation in the field of entrepreneurship, Dr. Kumar has developed deep insights and expertise in the field of high-growth entrepreneurship and developing entrepreneurial eco-systems. Along with his teams, Dr. Kumar is the recipient of multiple industry and community recognition for leadership and entrepreneurial excellence including the Ronald Reagan Gold Medal (2005) by the Congressional Business Advisory Council, the INC 500/5000 Award (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), the US Pan-Asian American Chamber Fast 50 Firm Award (2008, 2009, 2010), the Indo-American Center of NY Award (2007), The Indian American Cultural Society Award (2009), the US Chamber of Commerce Blue Ribbon Award (2009, 2011) and Asian MBA Award (2009).
Dr. Kumar has been graceful enough to share his paper, Resolving the Disconnects Between Academics and Practice in Entrepreneurship, which was featured on the ICSB blog with the Small Giants Community.
In order to provide some additional background and insight on his paper, we conducted a correspondence interview with Dr. Kumar that we’d like to share with you.
SGC: How did you become interested in the connection between the academic and entrepreneurial communities?
Dr. Suresh Kumar: My interest in entrepreneurship as a practitioner was forged during the years following 9/11. I realized that just like me, most entrepreneurs are not equipped to handle disruptions on the scale of 9/11 and very few survive a near death experience. I just got a few lucky breaks. The realization that the survival of a business during difficult days is dependent on many people and many factors- including the ability to take many hard knocks and get back on your feet, the capacity to be lean and flexible with planning so as to adapt quickly to unforeseen events, nurturing trust as a critical organizational competency, and plain old good luck- has made me more humble about how I view the process of entrepreneurship. I have made it my life mission to help as many new entrepreneurs as I can. It has helped me seek more knowledge and learn from experts in academics and practice.
I can claim to have made reasonable progress. I have completed my doctoral degree in entrepreneurship and my new venture, Green Earth LLC is ranked among the 2011 INC 500 firm. But what I am most proud of is that all the employees and shareholders who I stood be and who stood by me during those very difficult post 9/11 days are among my best friends today and will remain so for the rest of my life. Together we represent a tiny little strand that make up the amazingly diverse and resilient fabric of the United States of America. No terrorist can ever destroy that.
SGC: What do you think is the biggest failure of the two communities in their past relationships?
Dr. Suresh Kumar: I think the main issues are (a) entrepreneurship is a new academic discipline as compared to the sciences or arts and (b) there is a tendency to guard ones turf against “outsiders”. As I have explained in my white paper major academic and practitioner organizations such as AoM, USASBE, INC, and TIE conduct large annual conferences for their members. My experience attending many of the events has been that, barring a few exceptions, there is very little by way of strategic dialogue and sustainable partnerships between academic and practitioner organizations that tie in practice, research, education, advocacy and policy in meaningful ways. I have found that organizations charged with fostering the practice and education of entrepreneurship, at least for the most part, operate in silos that separate entrepreneurs from educators and researchers.
SGC: What content is being left out in the academic realm because of this disconnection?
Dr. Suresh Kumar: The disconnect between academics, practice and policy in entrepreneurs negatively impacts all the parties involved. It impacts the development of the entrepreneurial eco-system in the United States. On the academic side, students do not get the most optimal education. They are learning theory that is weak and leads them to assumptions that are mistaken. There are many gaping holes in the system. For example many schools teach entrepreneurship as if it is a linear process where you follow certain steps and get the results. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ask any INC 5000 entrepreneur and they will tell you that in real life entrepreneurship is chaotic and disjointed. With respect to academic conferences, I have sat through over 25 research paper presentations, including many award winning ones, barring a couple of notable exceptions, there has not been many ‘takeaway’s’ that I could apply to my business.
SGC: What do you think the biggest opportunity for collaboration lies?
Dr. Suresh Kumar: I think opportunities for collaboration abound at almost every level- teaching and learning models, research methods, linkage between theory and practice, use of experiential learning tools, working on real world problems, getting entrepreneurs into the classroom and researchers into the field. To be honest the possibilities are unlimited.
SGC: Who will be instrumental in breaking this barrier between the two communities?
Dr. Suresh Kumar: I believe that a broad nationwide policy framework is needed that promotes collaboration and information sharing. A need exists for the cross-pollination of ideas and best practices between the various government agencies, foundations, universities, chambers of commerce, media outlets, and other independent organizations that represent and promote entrepreneurship. I am greatly encouraged by the creation of such as forum at the Future of Entrepreneurship Education Summit (feesummit.com) sponsored by Kauffman Foundation and organized my Extreme Entrepreneurship which is scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C. in November 2011. Organizations like the Small Gaints play a critical role in bridging the gaps
SGC: For the creation and support of additional Small Giants companies, what should the academic community understand about their values?
Dr. Suresh Kumar: I think it is critical for the academic community to understand that practitioners bring real value to the table. They may not have a PhD, but their real live experience and learning is priceless. They add tangible value by identifying real problems and making research relevant to the problems faced by society. Small firms are the real backbone of our economy and the values that entrepreneurs bring to the table- hard work, patience, risk taking, the willingness to make sacrifices are timeless American values. Therefore I would like to see academic and practitioner organizations and their individual members to explore all possible avenues for collaboration. To advance the field of entrepreneurship the internal disconnects discussed have to be addressed.
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