Top

Small Business Economics

Published in:

27-04-2022

Lean scholarship

Authors: Dean A. Shepherd, Holger Patzelt

Published in: Small Business Economics | Issue 3/2023

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

We offer lean scholarship as an approach to developing a portfolio of high-quality, high-impact papers. By lean scholarship, we refer to iterative experimentation, stakeholder engagement, and collective learning in the process of generating a portfolio of papers. Lean scholarship starts with an entrepreneurial mindset and involves creating a minimum viable paper, exploring its validity, and adding a plausible paper to one’s portfolio. Lean scholarship requires managing the portfolio by periodically deciding whether to persevere, pivot, or terminate each paper.

next article Entrepreneurship, the initial labor force, and the location of new firms

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Of course, research varies on a continuum of novelty. At one end of the continuum, there is incremental research based on established approaches (e.g., theories and methods). On the other anchor, there is radical research based on novel approaches (e.g., theories and methods). An entrepreneurial mindset is more focused on the latter end of the continuum. Research on the other end of the continuum (a non-entrepreneurial mindset) includes scholars focusing on replications, critiques, dialogues, and reviews of previous research (e.g., systematic and meta-analyses). This research focus on a non (or less) entrepreneurial mindset is essential for a field to advance, but it is not the focus of the current paper.

A minimum viable paper is different from a “least publishable” unit (Buddemeier, 1991), which is about the minimum amount needed in a paper for it to be published.

Adler, N. J., & Harzing, A.-W. (2009). When knowledge wins: Transcending the sense and nonsense of academic rankings. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 8(1), 72–95. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2009.37012181CrossRef

Aguinis, H., & Vaschetto, S. J. (2011). Editorial responsibility: Managing the publishing process to do good and do well. Management and Organization Review, 7(3), 407–422. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8784.2011.00223.xCrossRef

Aguinis, H., Suárez-González, I., Lannelongue, G., & Joo, A. H. (2012). Scholarly impact revisited. Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(2), 105–132. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2011.0088CrossRef

Aguinis, H., Shapiro, D. L., Antonacopoulou, E. P., & Cummings, T. G. (2014). Scholarly impact: A pluralist conceptualization. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 13(4), 623–639. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2014.0121CrossRef

Bakker, R. M., & Shepherd, D. A. (2017). Pull the plug or take the plunge: Multiple opportunities and the speed of venturing decisions in the Australian mining industry. Academy of Management Journal, 60(1), 130–155. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.1165CrossRef

Barney, J. (2018). Editor’s comments: Positioning a theory paper for publication. Academy of Management Review, 42(3), 345–348. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2018.0112CrossRef

Barney J (2005) Where does inequality come from? The personal and intellectual roots of resource-based theory. In K. G. Smith, & M. A. Hitt (Eds.), Great Mind in Management. The Process of Theory Development: 36–54. New York: Oxford University Press

Beach LR, Mitchell TR (2005) Image theory’ In K. G. Smith, & M. A. Hitt (Eds.), Great mind in management. The Process of Theory Development: 36–54. New York: Oxford University Press

Blank, S. (2013). Why the lean startup changes everything. Harvard Business Review, 91(5), 63–72.

Börner, K., Contractor, N., Falk-Krzesinski, H. J., Fiore, S. M., Hall, K. L., Keyton, J., Spring, B., Stokols, D., Trochim, W., & Uzzi, B. (2010). A multi-level systems perspective for the science of team science. Science Translational Medicine, 2(49), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.30001399CrossRef

Boyd, B. K. (2020). The reviewers don’t like my sample! What can I do? In M. Wright, D. L. Ketchen, & T. Clark (Eds.), How to Get Published in the Top Management Journals. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

Brinckmann, J., Grichnik, D., & Kapsa, D. (2008). Should entrepreneurs plan or just storm the castle? A meta-analysis on contextual factors impacting the business planning–performance relationship in small firms. Journal of Business Venturing, 25, 24–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2008.10.007CrossRef

Buddemeier, R. W. (1981). Least Publishable Unit. Science, 202(4494), 494. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.212.4494.494.aCrossRef

Carlile, P. R. (2004). Transferring, translating, and transforming: An integrative framework for managing knowledge across boundaries. Organization Science, 15(5), 555–568. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1040.0094CrossRef

Clark, T., Wright, M., & Ketchen, Jr., DJ. (2016). How to get published in the best management journals. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Colquitt, J. A., & George, G. (2011). Publishing in AMJ—Part 1: Topic choice. Academy of Management Journal, 54(3), 432–435. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2011.61965960CrossRef

Colquitt, J. A., & Zapata-Phelan, C. P. (2007). Trends in theory building and theory testing: A five-decades study of the Academy of Management Journal. Academy of Management Journal, 50(6), 1281–1303. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2007.28165855CrossRef

Connelly, B. L. (2020). Managing a research pipeline. In M. Wright, D. J. Ketchen, & T. Clark (Eds.), How to Get Published in the Best Management Journals. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

Davis, B., Hmieleski, K., Webb, J., & Coombs, J. (2017). Funders’ positive affective reactions to entrepreneurs’ crowdfunding pitches: The influence of perceived product creativity and entrepreneurial passion. Journal of Business Venturing, 32(1), 90–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2016.10.006CrossRef

Earley, P. C., & Ang, S. (2003). Cultural intelligence: Individual interactions across cultures. Stanford University Press.CrossRef

Emich, K. J., & Vincent, L. C. (2020). Shifting focus: The influence of affective diversity on team creativity. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 158, 24–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2019.10.002CrossRef

Grichnik, D., Dew, N., Read, S., & Sirén, C. (2016). The role of boundary objects in entrepreneurship: Moving towards an interaction-learning nexus. Academy of Management Proceedings, 1, 13681. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2016.13681abstractCrossRef

Grimes, M. (2018). The pivot: How founders respond to feedback through idea and identity work. Academy of Management Journal, 61(5), 1692–1717. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.0823CrossRef

Gruber, M., MacMillan, I. C., & Thompson, J. D. (2008). Look before you leap: Market opportunity identification in emerging technology firms. Management Science, 54(9), 1652–1665. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1080.0877CrossRef

Hambrick, D., & Mason, P. (1984). Upper echelons: The organization as a reflection of its top managers. Academy of Management Review, 9(2), 193–206. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1984.4277628CrossRef

Hambrick D (2005). Upper echelon theory. Origins, twists and turns, and lessons learned. In K. G. Smith, & M. A. Hitt (Eds.), Great Mind in Management. The Process of Theory Development: 109–127. New York: Oxford University Press

Hamel, G. (1996). Strategy as revolution. Harvard Business Review, 74(4), 69–82.

Haynie, J. M., Shepherd, D. A., & Patzelt, H. (2012). Cognitive adaptability and an entrepreneurial task: The role of metacognitive ability and feedback. Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, 36(2), 237–256. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2010.00410.xCrossRef

Hill, A. D., Bolton, J. F., & White, M. A. (2020). A call to find knowledge in our non-findings. Strategic Organization, 18(4), 645–654. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476127019867860CrossRef

Kellermanns, F. (2020). Targeting journals: A personal journey. In M. Wright, D. J. Ketchen, & T. Clark (Eds.), How to Get Published in the Best Management Journals. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

Ketchen, D., Jr. (2016). Why I don’t want to co-author with you and what you can do about it. In T. Clark, M. Wright, & D. J. Ketchen Jr. (Eds.), How to get Published in the Best Management Journals: 172–177. Edward Elgar.

Kniffin, K. M., & Hanks, A. S. (2018). The trade-offs of teamwork among STEM doctoral graduates. American Psychologist, 73(4), 420–432. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000288CrossRef

Lazar, M., Miron-Spektor, E., Agarwal, R., Erez, M., Goldfarb, B., & Chen, G. (2020). Entrepreneurial team formation. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1), 29–59. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2017.0131CrossRef

Locke, K., & Golden-Biddle, K. (1997). Constructing opportunities for contribution: Structuring intertextual coherence and “problemtatizing” in organizational studies. Academy of Management Journal, 40(5), 1023–1062. https://doi.org/10.5465/256926CrossRef

Long, R. G., Bowers, W. P., Barnett, T., & White, M. C. (2017). Research productivity of graduates in management: Effects of academic origin and academic affiliation. Academy of Management Journal, 41(6), 704–714. https://doi.org/10.5465/256966CrossRef

MacMillan, I. C., & Narasimha, S. P. N. (1987). Characteristics distinguishing funded from unfunded business plans evaluated by venture capitalists. Strategic Management Journal, 8(6), 579–586. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250080607CrossRef

McGrath, R. G. (1999). Falling forward: Real options reasoning and entrepreneurial failure. Academy of Management Review, 24(1), 13–30. https://doi.org/10.2307/259034CrossRef

McMullen, J. S., & Shepherd, D. A. (2006). Encouraging consensus-challenging research in universities. Journal of Management Studies, 43(8), 1643–1669. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00641.xCrossRef

Mingers, J. (2009). Measuring the research contribution of management academics using the Hirsch-index. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 60(9), 1143–1153. https://doi.org/10.1057/jors.2008.94CrossRef

Mintzberg, H. (2005). Developing theory about the development of theory. In K. G. Smith & M. A. Hitt (Eds.), Great Minds in Management: The Process of Theory Development (pp. 355–372). Oxford University Press.

Nadkarni, S., Gruber, M., DeCelles, K., Connelly, B., & Baer, M. (2018). From the editors. New ways of seeing: Radical theorizing. Academy of Management Journal, 61(2), 371–377. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2018.4002CrossRef

Oldman GR, Hackman JR (2005) How job characteristics theory happened. In K. G. Smith, & M. A. Hitt (Eds.), Great Mind in Management. The Process of Theory Development: 151–170. New York: Oxford University Press

Ouchi, W. G. (1980). Markets, bureaucracies and clans. Administrative Science Quarterly, 25, 129–141. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392231CrossRef

Palacios-Huerta, I., & Volij, O. (2004). The measurement of intellectual influence. Econometrica, 72, 963–978. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0262.2004.00519.xCrossRef

Patzelt, H., Preller, R., & Breugst, N. (2021). Understanding the life cycles of entrepreneurial teams and their ventures: An agenda for future research. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 45(5), 1119–1153. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258720978386CrossRef

Peters, D. P., & Ceci, S. J. (1980). A manuscript masquerade: How well does the review process work? Sciences, 20(7), 16–19. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2326-1951.1980.tb01346.xCrossRef

Podsakoff, P. M., Podsakoff, N. P., Mishra, P., & Escue, C. (2018). Can early-career scholars conduct impactful research? Playing “small ball” versus “swinging for the fences.” Academy of Management Learning & Education, 17(4), 496–531. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2017.0198CrossRef

Ries E (2011) The lean startup: How today’s entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses: Crown Books

Scott, W. R. (2005). Institutional theory: Contributing to a theoretical research program. In K. G. Smith & M. A. Hitt (Eds.), Great minds in management: The process of theory development (pp. 460–484). Oxford University Press.

Shepherd, D. A. (2003). Learning from business failure: Propositions of grief recovery for the self-employed. Academy of Management Review, 28(2), 318–329. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2003.9416377CrossRef

Shepherd, D. A., & Gruber, M. (2021). The lean startup framework: Closing the academic–practitioner divide. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 45(5), 967–998. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258719899415CrossRef

Shepherd, D. A., & Wiklund, J. (2020). Simple rules, templates, and heuristics! An attempt to deconstruct the craft of writing an entrepreneurship paper. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 40(3), 371–390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2020.106033CrossRef

Shepherd, D., Sattari, R., & Patzelt, H. (2022a). A social model of opportunity development: Building and engaging communities of inquiry. Journal of Business Venturing, 37(1), 106033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2020.106033CrossRef

Shepherd, D. A., Maitlis, S., Parida, V., Wincent, J., & Lawrence, T. B. (2022b). Intersectionality in intractable dirty work: How Mumbai ragpickers make meaning of their work and lives. Academy of Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2019.0125CrossRef

Smith KG, Hitt MA (2005) Epilogue: Learning how to develop theory from the masters. In K. G. Smith, & M. A. Hitt (Eds.), Great Mind in Management. The Process of Theory Development: 572–588. New York: Oxford University Press

Starbuck, W. H. (2005). How much better are the most-prestigious journals? The statistics of academic publication. Organization Science, 16(2), 180–200. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1040.0107CrossRef

Staw, B. M. (1981). The escalation of commitment to a course of action. Academy of Management Review, 6(4), 577–587. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1981.4285694CrossRef

Staw, B. (1997). The escalation of commitment: An update and appraisal. In Z. Shapira (Ed.), Organizational Decision Making (pp. 191–215). Cambridge University Press.

van Knippenberg, D. (2017). Team innovation. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 211–233. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113240CrossRef

Weick, K. E. (1974). Amendments to organizational theorizing. Academy of Management Journal, 17(3), 487–502. https://doi.org/10.5465/254652CrossRef

Weick, K. E. (1989). Theory construction as disciplined imagination. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 516–531. https://doi.org/10.2307/258556CrossRef

Weick, K. E. (1995). What theory is not, theorizing is. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40, 385–390. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393789CrossRef

Weick, K. E., Sutcliffe, K. M., & Obstfeld, D. (2005). Organizing and the process of sensemaking. Organization Science, 16(4), 409–421. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1050.0133CrossRef

Whetten, D. A. (1989). What constitutes a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 490–495. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1989.4308371CrossRef

White, C. S., James, K., Burke, L. A., & Allen, R. S. (2012). What makes a “research star”? Factors influencing the research productivity of business faculty. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 61, 584–602. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410401211249175CrossRef

Wiklund, J. (2017). Re-search = me-search. In D. B. Audretsch & E. E. Lehmann (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to the Makers of Modern Entrepreneurship (pp. 233–245). Routledge.

Williamson, I. O., & Cable, D. E. (2003). Predicting early career research productivity: The case of management faculty. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24, 25–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.178CrossRef

Wright, M. (2020). Sustaining a publications career. In M. Wright, D. J. Ketchen, & T. Clark (Eds.), How to Get Published in the Best Management Journals. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.CrossRef

Wright, M., Ketchen, D. J., & Clark, T. (2020). How to get published in the best management journals. Edward Elgar.CrossRef

Title: Lean scholarship
Authors: Dean A. Shepherd
Holger Patzelt
Publication date: 27-04-2022
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Small Business Economics / Issue 3/2023
Print ISSN: 0921-898X
Electronic ISSN: 1573-0913
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-022-00627-4

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Other articles of this Issue 3/2023

A contingency model of employees’ turnover intent in young ventures

Examining the outcomes of entrepreneur pitch training: an exploratory field study

Crowdfunding investors, intermediaries and risky entrepreneurs

Skill-biased acquisitions? Human capital and employee mobility in small technology firms

How relative marginal tax rates affect establishment entry at state borders

Economic preferences and temperament traits among business leaders and paid employees

Premium Partner