JOBNAME: IHE PAGE: 1 SESS: 4 OUTPUT: Tue Jun 17 11:19:30 2014 /hling/journals/ipp/105/469335 How entrepreneurial leadership can engage university staff in the development of an entrepreneurial culture Paul Coyle Abstract: Using a case study, the process by which a university in the UK sought to implement its strategic objective to become an entrepreneurial university, by defining a set of desirable entrepreneurial attributes for all staff, is examined. It is concluded that the role of leaders, in connecting the desirable entrepreneurial attributes to the day-to-day-work of staff, is vital if an entrepreneurial culture is to be established throughout a university. Key aspects of entrepreneurial leadership that can support university–industry interaction are recommended. Keywords: entrepreneurial leadership; entrepreneurial culture; entrepreneurial attributes; entrepreneurial university; university–industry interaction Paul Coyle is Director of the Entrepreneurial University Leaders Programme, National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education, The Innovation Centre, Puma Way, Coventry CV1 2TT, UK. E-mail: paul.coyle@ncee.org.uk. This article presents a case study of how a UK university developed an entrepreneurial culture by addressing the known obstacles that would probably be faced in building such a culture. The aim was to devise a framework of entrepreneurial attributes that could be applied to all staff, not just those involved in university–industry interaction, as a basis for building an entrepreneurial culture that would permeate the entire university. Before embarking on the case study, the next section introduces in brief the concept of the entrepreneurial university, examining university interactions with industry and other stakeholders that generate economic and other benefits. Although there is as yet no consensus on the template for an ideal model of the entrepreneurial university, there is nevertheless a global trend towards the adoption of a more entrepreneurial stance by universities. A current objective of many universities is therefore the development of a so-called ‘entrepreneurial culture’. By means of the case study, the paper then explores the challenges involved in implementing a strategy to develop an entrepreneurial culture in a university – including the disconnect between such a strategy and the day-to-day responsibilities of staff, the perception among some that entrepreneurship is associated solely with commercialization, and the personal autonomy of individuals to choose not to engage in the entrepreneurial agenda. The entrepreneurial university The concept of the entrepreneurial university was developed by Clark in 1998 when he examined five INDUSTRY & HIGHER EDUCATION Vol 28, No 4, August 2014, pp 1–7, doi: 10.5367/ihe.2014.0215