Disputation: Daniel Leunbach

Doctoral candidate Daniel Leunbach at the Department of Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, is defending the thesis Venturing into the unknown: Navigating fundamental uncertainty in contemporary entrepreneurship practice and research for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor.

Bildet kan inneholde: vann, anlegg, vannforsyning, fjell, sky.

Ex auditorio questions: the chair of the defence will invite the attending audience at Kristen Nygaards sal to ask ex auditorio questions. 

Trial lecture

“Theoretical underpinnings and practical implications of uncertainty for entrepreneurial ecosystems”

Time and place: June 10,  2024 10:15 AM, Kristen Nygaards sal (5370), Ole-Johan Dahls hus/ Zoom

 

Main research findings

This dissertation explores how and why some decision-makers manage fundamental uncertainty better than others. Fundamental uncertainty is defined as situations where it is impossible to assign probabilities to a knowable set of outcomes. The dissertation is divided into three parts, each with its own approach to this topic.

The first part, based on empirical articles published in the Journal of International Entrepreneurship and the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, examines why some entrepreneurial teams handle uncertainty better than others.

The second part critiques effectuation theory, which is a central framework for understanding how entrepreneurs think and act under uncertainty, and develops constructive theoretical alternatives based on the poetry and thought of John Keats (1795-1821), one of the most widely admired poets of the Romantic era.

The third part, based on conceptual articles published in the Scandinavian Journal of Management and the Academy of Management Review, examines how uncertainty can be managed at an institutional level. This part uses Wittgenstein's philosophy to argue that a research domain that allows for a moderate degree of conceptual pluralism in the understanding of entrepreneurship will be better equipped to handle an uncertain future. It also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Wittgenstein's philosophy.

Overall, this dissertation enriches the discourse on entrepreneurship and uncertainty through empirical studies and philosophical critique.

Adjudication committee

  • Professor Magnus Klofsten, Dept. of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, Sweden
  • Professor Siri Terjesen, Florida Atlantic University, USA
  • Associate Professor Birthe Soppe, Department of informatics, UiO, Norway

Supervisors

  • Professor Trusl Erikson, Department of Informatics, UiO

  • Associate Professor Arild Aspelund, Department of Informatics, UiO

Chair of defence:

Professor Carsten Griwodz

Contact information at Department: Mozhdeh Sheibani Harat 

Publisert 27. mai 2024 09:21 - Sist endret 7. juni 2024 09:44