Thesis

Teaching corporates to think entrepreneurially - bringing effectuation to a corporate level

dvanced by Sarasvathy early 2000s, effectuation is an entrepreneurial decision-making approach. Stemming from the field of entrepreneurship, effectuation is still underexplored in the context of large, established firms despite sustained interest in corporate entrepreneurship. Recently, research efforts have raised effectuation to a corporate level, establishing it as a firm-level strategic orientation.
This thesis consists of a structured literature review comprising:
- Effectuation as entrepreneurial decision-making approach
- From effectuation to firm-level effectual orientation
- Antecedents of effectual orientation (firm-level)

Literature:
Sarasvathy, S. D. (2001). Causation and effectuation: Toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency. Academy of management Review, 26(2), 243-263.
Werhahn, D., Mauer, R., Flatten, T. C., & Brettel, M. (2015). Validating effectual orientation as strategic direction in the corporate context. European Management Journal, 33(5), 305-313.
Grégoire, D. A., & Cherchem, N. (2020). A structured literature review and suggestions for future effectuation research. Small Business Economics, 54(3), 621-639.

Keywords: Effectuation, Effectual orientation, Corporate effectuation, Decision-making, Corporate entrepreneurship