In this week’s Innovator Spotlight, hear from Jennifer Jennings, professor in the Department of Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Management and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Entrepreneurship, Gender and Family Business. Jennifer discusses how innovation starts with a healthy dose of skepticism to predominant approaches, how she responded when she lost her ability to read and her work on whether women’s participation in Brazil’s solidarity economy enterprises contributes to their sociocultural emancipation.
How do you describe your work to people who don’t work in your field?
I usually tell people that my research focuses primarily on gender and entrepreneurship. I am especially interested in whether, how and why women and men do things differently—and experience different outcomes—as founders of new businesses.
What’s one big problem you want to solve through your work?
I hope that my work helps others to realize the various ways in which entrepreneurship-related phenomena—such as acquiring start-up capital or scaling-up quickly—are subtly or not-so-subtly gendered. By raising awareness of whether, how, and why gender-based differences exist in the venture creation context, I hope that my work offers evidence to help transform entrepreneurial ecosystems such that they become as inclusive and supportive as possible for all aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs.
What does the word “innovation” mean to you?
Whether it be in business, the arts, science/engineering, or any other domain, I believe that innovation starts with a healthy dose of skepticism towards prevailing approaches. From there, I think that innovation requires the determination and creativity to conceive of potentially viable alternatives—and then the courage and perseverance to bring one’s idea to life. An innovation is valuable when others respond with a remark like: “How cool … I wish I had thought of that!”
What’s been your biggest a-ha moment — in life or work — so far?
One of my biggest a-ha life moments occurred about five years ago when I suddenly lost my ability to read. This was devastating to my identity, as I had equated the ability to read with being a professor. If I could no longer read and thus wasn’t a professor, then who was I? The following quote on a poster in my doctor’s office provided a key life lesson foundational to my recovery: “Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be.”
How do you or your team come up with your best ideas?
One of my favourite techniques is to go on a walk under the big, blue Alberta sky with the best lateral thinker I know—my spouse, research collaborator and department colleague, Professor Dev Jennings. He is really amazing at helping me to think about an issue from a completely different perspective. Thanks so much, Dev!
What’s your favourite thing about working at the U of A?
That’s easy—how valued I feel as a faculty member. One small example is receiving an invitation to be featured in this Innovator Spotlight forum. A much larger one is my faculty’s willingness to install a special lighting system in a BUS classroom to accommodate my emergent chronic eye condition. Thanks, Nadine, and everyone else who made this happen!
Do you have a role model at the U of A? How have they influenced you?
My role model at the U of A is Dr. Royston Greenwood, who is now an emeritus professor of the Alberta School of Business. Royston was (and still is) a world-class scholar who could have chosen to work solely with other internationally recognized academics. Instead, he always made (and still makes) time to work with and mentor as-yet-unproven researchers. Now that I’m a senior scholar in my field, I am trying to do the same.
In Shape: The University Strategic Plan 2023-2033, the University of Alberta commits to having a positive impact on our students and staff, our communities, and the communities we serve here in Alberta and around the world. What are the impacts of your work?
Building on my preceding answer, I am hopeful that the work that I do as a professor makes even a small difference in the lives of my students. For me, having an impact means knowing that the support and encouragement that I’ve provided as a professor have helped liberate a handful of students from contexts in which they hadn’t been fully free to realize their dreams.
What’s next for you? Do you have any new projects on the horizon?
I am working on many new projects related to gender and entrepreneurship, most of which are collaborations with doctoral students and junior colleagues. Several of these projects are tackling questions set in contexts that I never dreamed I’d be studying. One example is whether women’s participation in Brazil’s solidarity economy enterprises contributes to their sociocultural emancipation. What a neat way to learn more about—and maybe even make a difference to—the world around us!
