Systems Engineering in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

20Entrepreneurship as a Multidisciplinary Project

Arnon Katz

Synopsis

Entrepreneurship is a creative process, called on to design and manage innovative models, products, services, or businesses. An entrepreneurship initiative is a creative complex project, incorporating all the activities required to form and manage it. The execution plans and related outcomes are derived from this entity formed by the specific ecosystem, market, opportunities, team, and other essential characteristics. This chapter elaborates on a holistic perspective to entrepreneurship, with details on its various components and interrelations. It presents a systemic model for the planning and operation of an entrepreneurship initiative in context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It begins with an introduction to entrepreneurship, emphasizing its uniqueness and background. Then, a definition of such multiple disciplinary projects is discussed, highlighting the role of risk and uncertainty. The presented concepts are supported by data and practitioners' experience. They provide the background for guidelines and a checklist for a systemic approach. This approach is illustrated by a systemigram, a diagram presenting the systems' mutual influence and reliance within the overall system. It is used to emphasize the need for a careful tailored solution aiming at optimal management, according to the unique conditions of entrepreneurship.

20.1 Introduction to Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a dynamic, ...