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Our Meet Your Professor series invites you to meet some of the faces behind the Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. We’re pleased to introduce Dr. Jenny Baechler of the Faculty of Management.

• Senior Instructor, School of Public Administration
• Academic Lead, Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Management Without Borders Coordinator 

Tell us about yourself!  

I’m a member of the School of Public Administration and have been working in the Faculty of Management since 2006. My background is in peace and conflict studies. When I first started working for the Faculty of Management, I was unsure how that connection would show up in my day-to-day, but it turns out the two couldn’t be more related! The principles I’ve learned within my focus on peace and conflict all play into the areas of working collaboratively and conflict management, which are highly applicable to the inner workings of teams.

My research focus is in the whole-of-government (WoG) and I explore how different members of government find ways to work together even when barriers exist. I explore how these groups solve problems in society and what their pathway into innovation may be. Organizational innovation also takes a strong interest in collaboration. Most innovation happens with other people, and I love to dive into creative and high-functioning teams and how they implement successful and impactful innovations.

What courses do you teach?  

• MGMT 5000 – Management Without Borders (Course Coordinator)
• MGMT 2902 – Innovation: An Introduction to Design Thinking
• PUAD 6561 / POLI 5561 / POLI 4561 – Security-Development Nexus: Theory, Policy and Complex Operations

What is your favourite thing about teaching innovation and entrepreneurship courses?   

I love how engaged students get around the topics, both in the physical classroom and virtually. I can see how engaged they are from their participation in class to their portfolios. One assignment I ask students to complete in MGMT 2902 is a cooking activity and it makes me feel inspired when I see students commit to a process that is different than how they usually learn at a university. It has been great working with the students.

Why are innovation and entrepreneurship important for students in your Faculty?  

For students in the Faculty of Management the connections may seem obvious between the operation of organizations and the role innovation can play in their impacts. Certainly, skills and competencies in entrepreneurship will help those involved in organizations like start-ups or family businesses as they are trying to find a place to be fiscally and financially responsible. In larger corporations, we talk about building a culture of innovation to inspire positive change. Innovation and entrepreneurship concepts are foundational to management themes at large. But management has more then business – it also has the public and non-profit sectors that are just as interested in those skills. It’s a persistent theme in government, and non-for-profits to strive to be innovative in what they do. They work hard to manage the balance between the standards that keep them moving forward as a large team and the social norms that must be in place to allow them to bring new ideas forward.

I’d also like to give mention to students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS). These students won’t always see the connection between innovation and entrepreneurship and their career path, but they have so much to offer to innovation exercises. These students bring important critical thinking skills, they ask important questions and they naturally inspire conversations with their peers, making innovation exercises better and stronger. As a result, I hope these students not only see the benefit innovation and entrepreneurship skills can bring to their diverse career paths, but also the value they bring to the experience as well.

When you’re not teaching, you’re... 

One of the ways I love to spend my free time is cooking. I very much enjoy everything about the process of cooking, from planning meals, the act of making a dish and enjoying a meal with family and friends. I also love to go for walks and spend time outdoors, by the water whenever possible. I was born and raised in Cape Breton, and think I developed that love at a young age. I enjoy going back to Cape Breton and would highly recommend a visit!

An extra-curricular I&E activity or offering that you would recommend?  

I’m a huge supporter of AV¾ãÀÖ²¿â€™s six sandboxes. I’ve had the opportunity to interact with those who both organize, and those who attend the sandboxes programming and it’s such an engaged group. We’re so lucky to have that rich learning opportunity in addition to what’s happening inside the classroom. From hackathons to Ideathons and problem-solving exercises, they really push you a little outside your comfort zone. And the ability for students of different faculties, campuses and backgrounds to come together is largely beneficial and reflective of on-the-job experiences.