In Pursuit of Impact: From Research Questions to Problem Formulation in Entrepreneurship Research

Author:

Chen Suwen1,Sharma Garima2,Muñoz Pablo34ORCID

Affiliation:

1. ESADE Business School, Barcelona, Spain

2. Kogod School of Business, American University, Washington, DC, USA

3. Durham University Business School, Durham, UK

4. Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile

Abstract

In this paper, we address recent calls to increase the societal relevance of entrepreneurship research. We explore how entrepreneurship researchers and practitioners work together in the formulation of a research problem for impact. Leveraging process-tracing, we analyzed six entrepreneurship research projects, from early conceptualization to publication, all part of the Journal of Business Venturing Insights’ Entrepreneurship Rapid Response Research Initiative. We made two discoveries, as it pertains to the formulation of problems in entrepreneurship research. First, we found four critical change dimensions, along which a problem evolves throughout the research process: worthiness, divisibility, centrality, and specificity. Second, we found two equifinal problem formulation pathways in impact-oriented entrepreneurship research: inward-looking iterative and outward-looking joint problem formulation. These are marked by drivers of the research project, timing of involvement of the practitioner, and interactions between researchers and practitioners, which influence the sequence of the four change dimensions in problem formulation. Our study contributes by theorizing problem formulation as a process, not a point in time, and hence intertwined with solutions, making the process consequential. We also offer concrete implications for entrepreneurship scholars wanting to engage in research that impacts practice.

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Subject

Economics and Econometrics,Business and International Management

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