International online collaboration and synergy benefit startup entrepreneurs

Local startup entrepreneurs and 36 students shared in a ‘mindfest’ international dialogue to create real-world solutions to real-world entrepreneurial problems.

Celebrating its 15th year, the collaboration between Northeastern University (Boston, USA) and Tsiba Business School (Woodstock, Cape Town) for the 2020 ‘international dialogue’ harnesses the diversity and creativity of youth. Bringing together two vastly different continents, with world-class business methodologies, the dialogue is helping to solve daily business challenges faced by startup entrepreneurs. Initiated by Professor Dennis O’Shaughnessy of Northeastern University, the NU-Tsiba collaboration has remained true to its mission to create thriving entrepreneurs who can drive economic growth.

A strategic objective of Tsiba Business School is assisting small-scale entrepreneurs with the latest business and modelling tools, such as design thinking. Through its entrepreneurship curriculum, ‘Garage’ incubation hub and its burgeoning international collaborations with institutions such as Northeastern University (US), Fontys University (EU) and Impact Hub, Tsiba Business School is actively engaging with the SMME sector to assist with skills development for startup and practising entrepreneurs.

The Covid-19 lockdown impact has revealed the vulnerability of an economy which relies heavily on large-scale corporations that are unable to pivot and respond timeously to rapidly changing market conditions, resulting in significant job losses. The value in small, medium and micro-enterprise (SMME) sectors is their potential to boost employment opportunities.

Experiential learning is vital for students to test their academic theories, practically, and to improve team dynamics and communication skills. As they engage in income-generating project work and interact with local entrepreneurs to help build their businesses, they embark on a learning experience based on application as well as observe the impact of this within a socio-economic context.

Previously run as a face-to-face interactive programme to facilitate cross-cultural learnings, the 2020 NU-Tsiba international dialogue’s entire two-week programme was hosted online due to Covid-19 health protocols. While this may have limited the cross-cultural value of face-to-face engagement between the students, the aims of building and deriving value from online collaboration remained.

The business approach employed in the collaboration was the five-stage design thinking model proposed by the Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (d.school). D. School is the leading proponent when it comes to teaching design thinking and follows the following process: empathise, define (the problem), ideate, prototype and test.

The design thinking model was overlaid with the ‘double diamond’ process applied by Dane Hessler that is most often used by design thinking practitioners globally:

Working in small groups across three time zones, Zoom was the primary communication medium supported by WhatsApp, Flipgrid and other technology applications. Mostly though, it was about facilitating communication with each other, assessing progress in each of the stages and continually checking-in on student dynamics that guided the process.

Deliverables by the students were outstanding despite the challenges presented by online engagement. Breakout rooms in Zoom and online guest speakers, helped with the interactions of the students and their entrepreneurs, sparking meaningful conversations and debates.

The submissions made by Tsiba students show that their engagement in real-world, practical learning and journeys with local entrepreneurs provided profound learning encounters. They managed to apply the theory within entrepreneurial contexts, enhancing their abilities to think critically and creatively, while working in teams online.

The barriers of Zoom, data costs and technology adoption were addressed with extensive planning, funding and training being implemented. Most importantly, these students were working toward a program that had a social impact, motivating them as their group projects actually helped these small businesses. Bursting with pride and confidence after the programme, the entrepreneurs were complimentary on the deep learning experiences as well as the high standard of work done by the students.

As humans, we are driven by a deep need to progress and contribute. So, when communities work together to solve real problems that have a social impact, they are inspired and able to overcome challenges, no matter the offline and online hurdles life throws our way.

John Durr and Rudi Kimmie, Bizcommunity

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