About

Steve Barr is a Professor in the Department of Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MIE) at NC State University's Poole College of Management. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Iowa, earned in 1985. His areas of expertise include Technology Commercialization, New Business Startup, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Management. Dr. Barr is involved with initiatives such as the Technology Commercialization and Entrepreneurship (TEC) program and is recognized for his contributions to the field. He has received notable awards including the Alumni Association Graduate Professorship Award and the NC State Outstanding Teacher Award in 2021. His work focuses on advancing understanding and practice in entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology commercialization.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Process management
• Business
• Environmental science
• Aeronautics
• Engineering
• Operations management

Selected publications

• Quicker team launch times for urgent priority neonatal retrievals: A Quality Improvement Initiative study

  medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2024

  • Computer Science
  • Operations management
  • Process management

  Abstract Background Neonatal retrieval networks developed time-centric quality metrics as Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for benchmarking recently. Quicker launch time (departure from base), an essential KPI, enables neonatal retrieval teams to rapidly provide higher-level care to sick infants. Newborn Emergency Transport Services, Western Australia (NETS WA) facilitates neonatal transfers across largest global retrieval area necessitating quicker team launch times for urgent retrievals. NETS WA conducted Quality Improvement (QI) study to quicken team launch times for urgent priority retrievals. Aims Smart aim was to quicken NETS WA team launch times on urgent priority retrievals to ≤15 minutes (Australian New Zealand Neonatal Retrieval Network 2022). Secondary aims included impact of quicker launch times on time-centric quality metrics (“first look time”, “total retrieval time”). Settings This study was completed over two years by NETS WA. Urgent priority retrievals comprise 10-15% of total transfers (∼1200/year). Interventions QI team introduced Plan-Do-Study-Action (PDSA) cycles: 1. immediate access to transport cots 2. additional personnel 3. pre-defined priority matrix 4. direct communication strategies. Quality metrics (launch time, first look time, total retrieval time) were gathered from electronic retrieval database (REDCap). Data collection done at baseline (January-May 2022), during PDSA cycles (June 2022-April 2023) and post last PDSA cycle (May-December 2023). Results Launch times reduced from median (IQR) duration of 35.5 (21.5-90.0) to 17.0 (11.0-37.0) minutes for all urgent priority retrievals (p 0.0006). Launch times for road only urgent retrievals reduced to the recommended median (IQR) duration of 15.0 (10.0-20.0) minutes (p 0.009). Quicker launch times reduced first look time from median (IQR) of 85.0 (54.8-269.3) to 52.5 (30.5-152.3) minutes (p 0.008). Total retrieval time reduced from median (IQR) of 243.5 (135.8-395.3) to 182.0 (117.0-390.0) minutes (p 0.33). Conclusion Well-designed QI measures enabled NETS WA teams to quicken essential time-centric quality metrics for urgent priority neonatal retrievals. What is already known on this topic Quicker launch times are crucial for retrieval teams for rapid access provision of higher-level care to sick neonatal infants. There is dearth of literature on measures to reduce launch times of neonatal retrieval teams. What this study adds: Newborn Emergency Transport Services Western Australia (NETS WA) Quality Improvement (QI) measures quickened team launch times on urgent priority neonatal retrievals. Quicker launch times improved other essential time-centric quality metrics (“first look time” and “total retrieval time”) for urgent priority neonatal retrievals. How this study might affect research, practice or policy: The study provides data for consensus-based time-centric quality metrics for national and international benchmarking. Generalizable study QI measures for other neonatal retrieval teams to adopt and reduce their launch times.

  DOI

• Entrepreneurship at North Carolina State University

  Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · 2018-12-27 · 2 citations

  book-chapter

  At North Carolina State University, we take a unique approach to facilitating entrepreneurship education and practice – the NC State Entrepreneurship Clinical Model of Teaching and Research. Inspired but the teaching hospital model, the NC State Entrepreneurship Clinical Model integrates research, teaching, and real world experience by providing a space for faculty, students, entrepreneurs and service providers to gain skills, teach, learn and build businesses. We outline the main components of this model and highlight the student, venture, and research-oriented benefits of this approach.

  PublisherDOI

• New venture creation as establishing stakeholder relationships: A trust-based perspective

  Journal of Business Venturing Insights · 2017-01-02 · 78 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• The Big Data Lever for Strategic Alliances

  Palgrave Macmillan eBooks · 2014-11-14

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• The Big Data Lever for Strategic Alliances

  Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks · 2014-01-01

  book-chapter

  From the mid-1990s, many US firms began outsourcing formerly internal activities, while academics like J. Brian Quinn of Dartmouth asserted that a firm should develop world-class capabilities for core capabilities but seek world-class outsiders to accomplish everything else. First, parts manufacturing, then more knowledge-based tasks, and finally innovation itself were outsourced, in search of strategic advantage (Quinn, 1999, 2000; Quinn and Hilmer, 1994). Displacing the long trend of internalized functions for greater control that began in the nineteenth century (Chandler, 1977), increasing externalization of noncore activities has characterized the twenty-first century.

  PublisherDOI

• Bridging the valley of death: lessons learned from 14 years of commercialization of technology education

  IEEE Engineering Management Review · 2014-03-01 · 51 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This publication contains reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright. Full text is not available on IEEE Xplore for these articles.

  PublisherDOI

• THE BENEFITS OF APPLYING PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS TO LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS

  2013-06-26

  article

  Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) that encompass complex value chains can be challenging to manage since data is needed from different value chain partners and information needs to flow between different players in the value chain. However, good project planning and the application of timetested project management tools can help practitioners to overcome obstacles and successfully navigate the team through the study. Project management provides a very useful tool box to LCA. For example, RACI charts help to clearly assign roles and responsibilities within a project team. To guarantee the appropriate timing of individual tasks, Gantt charts can be helpful to manage the timing and the sequence of individual activities. In this presentation, we use a case study from industry to demonstrate how the effective integration of such project management methods can help to successfully manage even complex value chain LCA projects.

• Structural transitions in condensed colloidal virus phases

  Bulletin of the American Physical Society · 2010-03-18 · 1 citations

  article
  Publisher

• Bridging the Valley of Death: Lessons Learned From 14 Years of Commercialization of Technology Education

  Academy of Management Learning and Education · 2009-09-01 · 68 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  We argue for the increasing importance of providing graduate students with skills in technology entrepreneurship and the commercialization of technology. We describe the lessons we have learned from 14 years of developing commercialization of technology pedagogy and adapting it for use on four continents and within numerous corporations. We demonstrate that the theory-driven approach that we use to shape the curriculum improves our ability to learn from our mistakes and to structure small experiments to improve the curriculum and pedagogy.

  PublisherDOI

• Bridging the Valley of Death: Lessons Learned From 14 Years of Commercialization of Technology Education.

  Academy of Management Learning and Education · 2009-09-01 · 158 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  We argue for the increasing importance of providing graduate students with skills in technology entrepreneurship and the commercialization of technology. We describe the lessons we have learned fro...

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Marilyn G. Kletke

  Oklahoma State University Oklahoma City

  4 shared

• Debbra Johnson

  4 shared

• Filtz Tabak

  Towson University

  4 shared

• Jane M. Mackay

  4 shared

• Arthur P. Brief

  University of Utah

  4 shared

• David A. Richie

  3 shared

• Ted Baker

  3 shared

• Raghu Machiraju

  The Ohio State University

  3 shared

Awards & honors

• Alumni Association Graduate Professorship Award Recipient (2…
• NC State Outstanding Teacher Award (2021)