Entrepreneurial leadership in nonprofit organization: a case of Malaysian public university

Abstract

Entrepreneurial leaders are in-demand talents to lead profit-driven organizations during the turbulent and unprecedented times. However, research regarding the pertinence of their roles in the non-profit organization has been limited. In public university, entrepreneurial leaders can bridge the gap between diverse stakeholders to achieve a unified vision of innovative public value creation and dynamic education marketplace adaptation. Learning agility, opportunity-recognition capacity, and bridging capability are among the discovered competencies that make a Malaysian university top senior leader entrepreneurial. This article presents a discussion of a preliminary survey conducted to examine self-perceived entrepreneurial leadership competency among long-term successors and their associated demographic factors. Results show that elements of entrepreneurial leadership were practiced and displayed at different positional levels within public university. Varied academic career experiences and exposure to private corporate cultures would benefit university leaders to be more entrepreneurial in their leadership.