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Empathy is Central to Entrepreneurship

Yasuhiro (Yasu) Yamakawa Brett Smith

by Yasuhiro (Yasu) Yamakawa and Brett Smith

Category: Commentary Tags: Entrepreneurship Innovation Management

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Successful entrepreneurs not only identify problems that must be solved, but also empathize with the people affected by them. In this discussion, Babson College's Yasu Yamakawa and Brett Smith of Miami University of Ohio propose that empathy is a quality that can be acquired only by going out into the world without preconceived notions, and being willing to "do and learn" rather than "learn and do." The biggest drawback to empathy: thinking too much.

Yasuhiro (Yasu) Yamakawa
Yasuhiro (Yasu) Yamakawa
Associate Professor / Entrepreneurship / Babson College
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Brett Smith
Brett Smith
Director, Institute for Entrepreneurship / Center for Social Entrepreneurship / Miami University of Ohio
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David Deeds
David Deeds

Cite this Article

DOI: 10.17919/X9W01X
Yamakawa, Y., & Smith, B. (2016, October 31). Empathy is central to entrepreneurship. Entrepreneur & Innovation Exchange. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://eiexchange.com/content/236-empathy-is-central-to-entrepreneurship
Yamakawa, Yasuhiro (Yasu), and Brett Smith. "Empathy is Central to Entrepreneurship" Entrepreneur & Innovation Exchange. 31 Oct. 2016. Web 19 Apr. 2024 <https://eiexchange.com/content/236-empathy-is-central-to-entrepreneurship>.