The document outlines the Proacademy, a unit of Tampere University focused on entrepreneurship education through team learning and self-leadership. It reflects on the values and structures that support a collaborative and innovative environment for aspiring entrepreneurs. The Proacademians strive to combine learning with practical experience to foster personal growth, creativity, and business acumen.

1. LE E
H EM I A N S
T D
TA
F CA
THE
PR O O A

2. Check-in
W ho are you?
Whe re are you from?
ProAcademy
What is your passion?
3

3. PREFACE
Proacademy is a special unit of Tampere University of Applied Sciences
(TAMK) in Tampere, Finland. The Proacademians study for a BBA degree
in entrepreneurship via a unique combination of team learning, dialogue,
coaching, learning-by-doing and self-leadership.
The story of the Proacademians began over ten
years ago. Some restless nomads in Tampere had
a nose for business but there didn't seem to be any
place where they could test their ideas in practice.
They sent scouts around Finland to look for new
radical solutions. Many scouts returned with
nothing. However, one scout returned from
a little town called Jyväskylä telling stories
about a tribe that learned via action and
dialogue. These Teamacademians had an
elder with a vision of taking the tribe
around the world and learning in
the process.The scout's stories
inspired two elders in Tampere
to change their ways of
teaching the young and the
Proacademian tribe
was born.
4

4. Values
The elders realized already in the
early days that they needed values
to guide the tribe. But values are
a tricky thing and it is not always
easy to root values in the followers.
We roll up our
For some years the tribe struggled sleeves and start
working towards
because members didn't always our dreams.
share common goals or follow the
community rules. Some elders left. ...because
that’s how we
learn best.
At some point a great insight was
made: the tribe understood that the
We allow
values had to come from within, so mistakes...
a board of older proacademians
was formed. The board formed a
path of values for the younger tribe
members to follow. The board saw
great wisdom in visualizing the
path so everyone would remember We dare to dream
and face
it in their every day activities. the unknown.
5

5. rs
s and the elde
the proacademian re are
Every spring the tribe. The
me mbers to join to take
look for new een preparing
te s who have b dying
plenty of initia eurship by stu
ith into entrepren
the leap of fa nce.
computer scie
one yea r business or
wed by
d are intervie
us ones apply an e most
The courageo the elders. Th
ca demians and in the
the older proa re chosen to jo
h umble ones a
motivated and embers are sp
lit
.T he new tribe m
tribe next fall the
ne elder takes
into tw o teams and o ch them for th
e
to guide and coa
responsibility
.
coming years
t
rmed, the firs
s have been fo
Once the team embers is to b
uild
th e new tribe m
objective for esty between
each
l trust and hon
unconditiona em by
embers help th
Older tribe m ms also
other. ys and the tea
a mbuilding da are their
organizing te cottages to sh
ats to distant
organize retre ersonal storie
s.
ements and p
learning agre
6

6. As the days sh
orten and win
are soon in dir ter approaches
e need of actio the teams
first projects fo n. They must
r money to pay find the
food during th for their shelte
e harsh winter r and
up a cooperativ months. They
e company that have set
interact with an allows them to
d work for the
surrounding tr
ibes.
The elders cou
rage the teams
leave the shelte to try out new
r and meet the things,
The elders also surrounding tr
ask good ques ibes.
ones to think ab tions that help
out their appro the new
responsibilitie ach and
s. Older proac
sharing their k ademians help
nowledge and them by
encounters wit stories from p
h the surround revious
stories are of g ing tribes. Som
reat successes, e
gone awry, so some about th
me are funny ings
What is import and some emb
ant is that the arrasing.
know they are new tribe mem
trusted and they bers
the whole trib have the supp
e. They can be ort of
straightforwar honest and
d even if thing
planned. s don't always
go as
7

7. What does tr
ust mean for
you?
How do you build trust in your team?
Should we also celebrate failu
res?
8

8. Courage
Some time ago, the elders met a
talented artist who lives in a near-
by cave with the demolan people.
During a long session of music,
incenses and mind-altering sub-
stances the artist drew the vision
of the elders on the wall.
The proacademian tribe has a
great vision high up in the skies.
We want to be nationally and in-
ternationally recognized school
for entrepreneurs in 2014 staying
true to our beliefs and customs.
Our mission is to create possibili-
ties. The proacademians become
team entrepreneurs, develop an
international mindset and create
unique networks of people.
9

9. Dreaming
The atmosphere amongst the Proacademians
feels like summertime; enthusiastic, sunny,
warm and always full of energy. This creates
the right platform for the ideas to fly around
The Proacademians also realize that simply
freely, just waiting for someone to catch and
dreaming is not enough. You need to visualize
make use of them. The Proacademians give
whatever it is you desire. You need to work for
their support and encourage each other to
what you want in life with motivation and
develop their ideas further and make them
determination. This is why creating, updating and
become a reality.
measuring one’s own targets are important and
natural elements of the Proacademians´ lives.
The Proacademians understand the power of dreaming. They have the
possibility to dream and the whole tribe is encouraged to do that. They
understand that one can have and achieve everything they want, as long
as they believe in it in their hearts. Nothing is impossible.
r!
ha t you wish fo
Watch out: You get w that
t th e good things
L earn to accep .
happen to you
10

10. Innovation techniques and
sharing knowledge
demians is
The secret of the Proaca
periences and
sharing information, ex
hiding what
ideas openly. Instead of
share the know-
they know, they want to
Proacademians
how with everyone. The
together much
believe that by thinking
in business, as
more can be achieved
. Inspiring other
well as in life in general The Proacademians use specifi
c tools,
ed is always
people and getting inspir such as dialogue circles, to help the
flow of
loping the tribe,
worth striving for. Deve information inside the tribe and
especial-
d other tribe
the projects, oneself an ly in the teams. When it’s time to
innovate
eping the com-
members is vital for ke something completely new for a pro
ject or
forward.
munity alive and moving for the business, more intensive
tools are
used. The elders and other wise peo
ple have
come up different brainstorming too
ls for the
innovation process. These tools set
the minds
of the Proacademians into the righ
t stage to
come up with ideas freely and then
develop
them further to produce something
real that
can be used right away. Outcome
s of the
ideas are brave, different and out-of-
the-box.
11

11. ear ning from mistakes
L and frustration an
d
s hit th e Proacademians e projects
Sometimes storm s go wrong in th
at mosphere. Thing
anger flare in the e community sp
irit.
or the teams fa il in cultivating th rtant ones for lear
ning.
ts ar e the most impo
But these momen
r
mistakes. An elde
ns are allowed to make you learn.
The Proacademia make, the more
er the mistake you d untested things
,
has said: the bigg ent to try new an
environm t you
The tribe is a safe iling, but at leas
and sometimes fa the
sometimes succee
ding assment, instead
’s no judg ement or embarr
have tried. There stories.
splayed and good
tribe celebrat es the courage di
12

12. How do y ou create a culturees?
that also c elebrates failur
13

13. Ac ti on
ilding
t year of bu
A fter the firs e in the team,
ourag
trust and c al action. It
time for re rd
it’s step forwa
means taking the
zone and
the comfort
from hallenges;
jumping into new c ing
sks, search
takin g bigger ri and
ing projects
ne w challeng ss.
succe
aiming for This tim
e is a dif
act for th ficu
e tribe m lt balancing
ing the r embers:
ight mix fin
projects, time-wis d-
di e for
activitie alogue, commun
s and rea i
tribe me ding put ty
mb s every
ment int ers’ time manag
o test. e-
14

14. Roles in the tribe
The tribe needs different kinds of leading roles for it to work smoothly. The elders look after
their teams. The challenging and interesting part of this is that the elder is responsible for
both coaching the team members personally as well as the whole teams’ development.
ivated Proacademians to help the elders
The assistant elders are chosen amongst the mot
sts, keeping the tribe updated about the
in organizing tribe activities, receiving gue and
like finding new exiting ways for learning
happenings and dates and also other things
keeping up the spirit.
the board of Proacademians. The board is chosen
All the important decisions in the tribe are made by
and their responsibility is to make decisions
from the elders, elders’ assistants and team leaders, in.
y team also chooses a business leader from with
regarding the everyday life of Proacademians. Ever urage
team’s business activities, set goals and enco
The business leader’s responsibility is to lead the
team members.
15

15. What kind of l eader are you?
16

16. Learning and
dialogue
Daily life of the Proacademians is essentially all
about learning; creating and sharing the knowledge
within the tribe. Things are not learned for storage;
Proacademians learn because they need to understand
something and test it out in practise.
The Proacademians have a unique way to use dialogue
circles in discussions where everyone can see each other
and feel belonging to the moment. Every member taking
part in the dialogue is important. Everyone should speak
openly, be able to really listen and understand where the
others are coming from. It is important to talk straight-
forwardly but with respect. The aim of the dialogue is to
enable free flow of thinking together, which gives birth to
great ideas and solutions for the business as well as creates
trust and understanding for the team. Understanding and
achieving real dialogue takes time and the progress reflects
the team development.
Sometimes the openness of the Proacademians confuses
people outside of the tribe. The tribe’s atmosphere
encourages straightforward talk and genuine spontaneous
feedback. The tribe members learn how to give positive and
constructive feedback early on and also to be able to receive
and learn from it. Feedback should be immediate to help the
tribe develop the most.
When something is wrong, it is discussed at once. When
someone has done a great job, everyone recognizes the
achievement. Thanking and recognizing everyone’s efforts
creates new motivation and a better atmosphere in the tribe.
17

17. arn ing?
s le
ele rate
hat acc rni ng?
W
wn lea
s do
low
What s
18

18. Su ccess ians hav
ed
efinition
ifferent d rocess
the p
s
roacadem t is born out of e-
P I ally. Som
for success. ber individu rofitable
ibe mem ed by how p
r each tr g
fo s is defin allengin
time s succes en o r how ch that’s
ss has be rried out, but
th e busine n ca
have bee significant
projects the most e has joined the -
t always n r
no . Everyo ess, entrepreneu
meas urement busin
n about es.
trib e to lear themselv
mw ork and
ship, tea
ecognize
people r
s when now how
c ess come eaknesses and k
Real suc ths and w ure. Wh
en
their st reng rs i n the fut values
elf-leade ial,
to be a great s their own potent life.
found plish in
th ey have ant t o accom
t they w
and wha
19

19. re y our va lues?
What a
Perso nally?
Your tribe?
20

20. What is your dream?
n yo u help o thers?
How ca
21

21. Check-out
Wha t did you learn?
What will you
take into practic
e?
22

22. Important books
for the Proacademians
Blue Ocean Strategy. Kim W. Chan & Renee Mauborgne. 2005.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don’t. Jim Collins. 2001.
Outliers. Malcolm Gladwell. 2008.
Tribes. Seth Godin. 2008
Future of Management. Gary Hamel. 2008.
Dialogue: The Art Of Thinking Together. William Isaacs. 1999.
The Medici Effect. Frans Johansson. 2004.
Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions.
John Kotter & Holger Rathgeber. 2006.
The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage.
B. Joseph Pine II & James H. Gilmore. 1999.
The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations.
James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner & Tom Peters. 1995.
The Knowledge-Creating Company. Ikujiro Nonaka & Hirotaka Takeuchi. 1995.
Business as Unusual. Anita Roddick. 2005.
The Fifth Discipline. Peter Senge. 1990.
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. 1991.
23

23. The team behind this book
Content:
Maria, Janita, Jutta, Laura, Katri, Satu and Jukka
Graphic design: Vesa Tamminen
Final check: Marianna Leikomaa
Thanks to TAMK R&D for supporting this project.
© TAMK Proacademy, February 2010
Sometimes the right spirit and a great team is enough to make dreams come true.
24

24. The door is open so you step in. You hear talk and laughter. You smell fresh coffee and feel the
inspiring atmosphere. The Proacademians are busy helping each other out. You see the colorful
offices, dialogue rooms and lounges. People come and talk to you.
First you wonder if you have actually stepped in to an office, but then you see it. Teams have
decorated their offices to represent their team company’s brand. The walls are covered with
values, references and project outlines. There are people developing a marketing strategy,
planning an international week, editing videos, having a weekly meeting, innovating new busi-
ness ideas and writing offers for the clients. Suddenly, you hear a loud bell ringing. One Pro-
academian has acquired a big project and it is time to celebrate!
The atmosphere is warm, encouraging, excited and ready for action. Everywhere you look people
are making their dreams come true together. And it is clear they are loving every moment of it.
This book tells the tale of eager Proacademians who want to be entrepreneurs. They belong to
a small tribe residing in Finlayson, the historical heart of Tampere, Finland. They believe that
learning can be a unique, empowering and meaningful experience where self-leadership and
team discipline mix with coaching and learning-by-doing to revolutionize learning outcomes.