Gearing Up Leading your Kiwi Business into the Future

Published a decade ago, forged from the lessons of the Global Financial Crisis and reprinted multiple times, the authors’ Changing Gears: How to Take Your Kiwi Business from the Kitchen Table to the Board Room was the first book that enabled New Zealand firms to integrate business-school wisdom into their thinking. Gearing Up: Leading Your Kiwi Business into the Future is a completely revised and updated primer for owner-manager businesses like those of New Zealand. The book introduces the business basics that haven’t changed (business models and financial drivers, leadership, team building, strategy and planning), while exploring how globalization and digital transformations are challenging what we know about doing business. Throughout, the authors focus—through real examples—on the opportunities and challenges faced by the New Zealanders running our owner-operated businesses. This book is a primer of business school wisdom to lead your business past the immense changes of today's economy and into the future.

After a highly successful business career, David Irving retired as chief executive officer and area director Australasia, Heinz Wattie in 1997. He was co-founder of The Icehouse Business Growth Centre and has held many governance roles in New Zealand corporate and SMEs including chairman of Prolife Foods for twelve years. In 2014 David co-founded the very successful community leadership development centre in the Waikato, CELF. David has held adjunct and honorary professor appointments at the University of Auckland Business School and currently is adjunct professor in the University of Waikato Management School. He has initiated and served in several philanthropic initiatives. In 2013 David was appointed an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for his contribution to business and education. Darl Kolb is professor at the University of Auckland Graduate School of Management. He is currently interested in how we make sense of experience, including new metaphors for a digital age. Darl has been a visiting fellow at the University of Sydney and the University of Cambridge. As an award-winning teacher, Darl leads a core course in the GSM’s international Masters of Management programme and serves as an academic facilitator for business growth programmes at The Icehouse. Deborah Shepherd is a senior lecturer in the Management and International Business Department in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Auckland. She currently teaches entrepreneurship, and her research interests are in social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurship education. She is part of the directing team for The Icehouse Business Growth Programmes and facilitator on the Owner Manager Programme. Deborah’s consultancy work is with SMEs, family businesses and social enterprises. She is a director, advisor or investor in a number of privately owned NZ SMEs and start-ups including her family business Biocell Corporation. She also works with government in an advisory role on SMEs as a member of the Small Business Council and the Australia and New Zealand Electronic Invoicing Board. Christine Woods is associate professor in entrepreneurship and innovation in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her teaching background is in entrepreneurship at undergraduate and masters level, and Maori entrepreneurship, a component of the Postgraduate Diploma in Business in Maori Development. She is also a life fellow at Clare Hall, Cambridge. Chris is part of the directing team for The Icehouse Business Growth Programmes and facilitator on the Owner Manager Programme. Her consultancy work is with SMEs, family businesses and social enterprises. She is also a founding director of Maori Maps (www.maorimaps.com).