Keith,
I appreciate your going to the dictionary on this and
your negotiation with the various re-definitions of the original.
I'm not sure that what follows adds anything to your defining
the local corporate intra or entre as "agent." Perhaps just a
little more "gingerbread" to the original definition.
But risking that, I would like to explore the problem with the
intent behind the use of the noun "entrepreneur" to describe
practically everyone in business today who wants to be known
as "forward looking," "creative" or "with the times."
The primary problem with redefining an original noun lies in
the area of context. It is very difficult to redefine the
denotative element of a word through usage no matter what the
common belief about this is in English. We tend to return not
only to the dictionary but to the etymology of the word itself
for our meanings except in the world of advertising. Because
of the global use of dictionaries and translators who are
continually explaining idiomatic usuage and its problem with
being limited by fad or fashion, the tendency is to go with
basic denotative meaning modified by context. This being the
case, the person who wishes to be understood accurately must
begin with the denotative primary meaning and then add the
contextual, or connotative, interpretation built on the accuracy
of the denotative. In a document or description, only the
connotative (who, what, when, where, why etc.) can set the
final definition of a word being used. That being said, I
feel the first element needs to be a little stronger before
the context can make sense. Admittedly I am being very
general in this and using general language dictionaries.
Another kind of dictionary that borders on context is the
professional dictionary such as music, engineering, medicine,
etc.. I am limiting myself to the discussion of the general
denotative meaning of the word and not the interpretive
connotation of either situation or profession.
With that all being said I will now begin with an interpretation
(like I said I wouldn't), but an interpretation that I will show
is minimal in its deviation from the denotative and is conservative,
i.e. easily understood, in its usuage.
Where I come from, an Entrepreneur is a person who risks their
own wealth and takes responsibility for seeing that the risks of
their shareholders will always be repaid. Several years ago I was
told about a famous NYCity Entrepreneur who had failed four times
before he finally made it work. Each time he went bankrupt he
slowly crawled out of the hole and paid his investors back with
the kind of interest that was considered fair between them. Each
time he was able to raise money because he was a real entrepreneur.
The key was that he himself risked everything and that he was
a responsible risk himself. This man is not known for being
easy, he is a rather brutal, arrogant individual that you probably
would have difficulty liking, but he is a "dealer" of the highest
sort and is now a very wealthy and powerful man. An Entrepreneur.
When I want to know if someone is a Worker or an Entrepreneur, I
always think of that man and then I know.
entrepreneur from the old French "entreprendre", to undertake.
WEBSTERS 2ND EDITION:
Entrepreneur: One who organizes and directs a business undertaking,
assuming the risk for the sake of profit; also, the originator
or manager of public entertainments, or of a musical enterprise.
Also from "entreprendre" to undertake. enterprise:
enterprise:
1. an undertaking; a project.
2. a bold, hard, dangerous, or important undertaking.
3. willingness to venture on such undertakings; readiness
to take risks or try something untried; energy and
initiative.
4. the carrying on of projects; participation in undertakings.
Syn. adventure, undertaking, venture.
Within the "venture" meaning of the verb "enterprising"you
have the noun "enterpriser" with the synonym "entrepreneur."
It seems to be the all or nothing risk quality of the
enterprise that is carried forward in meaning (they even
use the description "to attack") to the noun entrepreneur.
The manager or CEO can be enterprising but they have to
risk all to be called an Entrepreneur. Definitely not the
type of person who simply operates on interest. Maybe Ross
Perot, Donald Trump, P.T. Barnum, Robert Moses, ? Zeckendorf,
George Steinbrenner come to mind, but not anyone with high
severance, packed portfolios or old family wealth, no matter
what the outcome.
AMERICAN HERITAGE 3RD EDITION:
This most recent American Dictionary is even more succinct.
Entrepreneur (noun) A person who organizes, operates and assumes the
risk for a business venture.
Enterprise
1. An undertaking, especially one of some scope, complication,
and risk.
2. A business organization.
3. Industrious, systematic activity, especially when directed
toward profit.
So I would assume that most creative corporate people would come
under the term "enterprising" and if that extends in time then
the term would be "enterpriser" -- if, however that extends to
the holistic element of total risk for a business venture including
almost a fiduciary responsibility towards investors if failure
should occur, then that person could be accurately termed an
entrepreneur. All other uses of the word would come under the
term "advertising."
This brings to mind whether most businesses enterprises can
accurately be termed entrepreneurial. Evidently one must have
a great deal of belief and trust in an entrepreneur in order to
get involved, because the nature of entrepreneurship is inherently
risk taking. If the person is not trustworthy or if the danger
is physical as well as financial, an investor could lose their
investment.
Today's use of the word in everyday media and CEO descriptions
doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me. I guess I would say
the intent seems elsewhere than "clarifying a person performing
a well defined activity." Some of the people on my Board would
put it quite a bit more bluntly.
Ray Evans Harrell
mcore@soho.ios.com
--mcore@soho.ios.com (Ray Evans Harrell)
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>