KEENzine Partner Showcase

An EM Orientation, Not a Set of Activities Olinpurposefullyfightsagainstinstitutional isomorphism, which is the tendency for organizations in a similar field to start to mirror each other, adopting similar practicesparticularlyintheirstructuresand processes. Although this kind of mirroring is not always negative, Olin continues to experiment longafter others have stopped asking questions about why they are doing what they are doing. As an example, Olin faculty are committed to including students in curriculum design, since students are the ones who are impacted by the courses they take and need to see the meaningful connections across their courses. The co-creation process includes piloting assignments, sharingreal-time feedbackandreflections, and working with students to improve courses from year to year. It enriches faculty-studentrelationshipsasstudents become more aware of the expertise and time it takes to be a good educator and faculty develop empathy for their students, whose challenges may be very different from the ones they faced as undergraduates. Another example is Candidates’ Weekend.Olinhasatraditionofbringing shortlisted students to campus to work in collaborativegroups toget a “feel” for whether an Olin education is a good fit for them. Similarly, Olin began to do this with faculty candidates several years ago when they had an opportunity to hire for multiple positions. This change hastransformedhowprospectivefaculty feel about the process and gives great insight into a candidate’s comfort with the entrepreneurial environment at Olin. As these examples suggest, the work related to entrepreneurial mindset is work related to Olin’s mission more broadly. This synergy is more than a particular set of activities — it is deeply embedded in Olin as an institution. “We’re looking for people who have a certain orientation toward Olin and the world, which I would characterize as an entrepreneurial mindset. There’s a fair bit of self-selection in that. We’re signaling to our faculty candidates that EM is part of the deal. We want to continue to bring in the kind of people who reflect our values and aspirations in the world.” - Jason Woodard, Dean of External Programs and Partnerships and Professor of Engineering and Entrepreneurship THE OLIN TRIANGLE 54 55 KEEN’zine ― PARTNER SHOWCASE PARTNER SHOWCASE ― KEEN’zine