Model Sarasvathy’s principles for effectuation

Create opportunities and perform actions based on the resources available here and now by asking:

1. Who are you?
2. What do you know?
3. Who do you know?

It can be particularly beneficial in interdisciplinary courses to start working with this principle as a competence assessment to help the students become aware of how they can contribute in a collaboration process. Moreover, this exercise can enable the students to create projects that are better connected to their own study backgrounds.

Please note: the effectuation mindset is to be used in an iterative process where the students can apply Sarasvathy’s worldview and principles for effectuation to navigate independently and the teaching process should therefore not be divided into phases in a rigorous structure. However, you can find suggestions for methods below, which can support or inspire the students to use the Bird-in-Hand principle in a entrepreneurship process.

You can minimize the risk of a project by only investing what you are willing to lose – rather than focusing on what can be achieved if the project succeeds. You should therefore practice how to make decisions and perform actions where you can manage the potential loss if your actions do not get the expected outcome.

According to the effectuation logic you can maintain control by taking small steps in one direction instead of working towards long-term goals with unpredictable outcomes. By approaching decision making this way you can avoid investing time or money that you are not actually willing to lose.

Please note: the effectuation mindset is to be used in an iterative process where the students can apply Sarasvathy’s worldview and principles for effectuation to navigate independently and the teaching process should therefore not be divided into phases in a rigorous structure. However, you can find suggestions for methods below, which can support or inspire the students to use the Bird-in-Hand principle in a entrepreneurship process.

The effectuation logic also includes the principle of entering into collaborations and partnerships in order to bring new resources into the project. The principle of Crazy quilt emphasizes the value of collaborating with various types of partners who are willing to commit, rather than searching for potential partners who might not be available or motivated. This is also based on the understanding that when engaging with new partners with different and surprising perspectives, one must be open to letting the project change direction as a result of these new partnerships. Sarasvathy calls the type of partnership for Crazy quilt, because it is characterized by brightly colored and quirky patterns.
In a teaching situation the principle means that the students must be able to identify the partners needed to solve a problem and collaborating with them at appropriate times in the process and adjusting the project scope accordingly.

Please note: the effectuation mindset is to be used in an iterative process where the students can apply Sarasvathy’s worldview and principles for effectuation to navigate independently and the teaching process should therefore not be divided into phases in a rigorous structure. However, you can find suggestions for methods below, which can support or inspire the students to use the Bird-in-Hand principle in an entrepreneurial process.

Detours and mistakes are inevitable elements of entrepreneurship processes, and the students must learn to work with them and identify the opportunities for development and learning that can arise in these situations.

It may be difficult for the students to be open about their detours and mistakes, as they might be afraid that it could negatively influence exam results. To accommodate this you can address this in your teaching and make it acceptable and even expect that the student projects change directions. If possible you can also add learning objectives to the course description about identifying and dealing with unforeseen situations, mistakes and detours in the entrepreneurship process.

Please note: the effectuation mindset is to be used in an iterative process where the students can apply Sarasvathy’s worldview and principles for effectuation to navigate independently and the teaching process should therefore not be divided into phases in a rigorous structure. However, you can find suggestions for methods below, which can support or inspire the students to use the Bird-in-Hand principle in a entrepreneurship process.