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

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, conducive to impact, evolves throughout the research process: worthiness, divisibility, centrality, and specificity. Second, we found two equifinal pathways for impact-oriented research: curiosity-driven and challenge-based. These are marked by the drivers of the research project, the timing of involvement of the practitioner, the interactions between actors, and the sequence of the four change dimensions in the 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.