Regan Stevenson - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Regan Stevenson

Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 2020

Small Business Economics, 2020

Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2020

Journal of Management Studies, 2020

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2020

Journal of Management, 2021

We review extant experimental work in strategic management and argue that experiments constitute ... more We review extant experimental work in strategic management and argue that experiments constitute an underused methodology that has significant potential. We examine and categorize 179 experiments from 119 published articles over a 20-year period, delineating the contributions of these experiments to the strategic management literature. In doing so, we identify topic areas in which experiments have been effectively deployed as well as several literature streams that have a limited amount of prior experimental research. We discuss specific challenges of using experiments in strategy research, especially given its strong focus on the firm level of analysis. We also emphasize approaches for how experiments can be instrumental in extending management theories and accelerating behavioral microfoundations of strategy research. In light of past contributions and gaps, we discuss specific opportunities and means of designing innovative experiments, propose novel potential research questions,...

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2015

Language conveying positive psychological capital reflects optimism, hope, resilience, and confid... more Language conveying positive psychological capital reflects optimism, hope, resilience, and confidence. Use of this language in organizational narratives has been linked to key organizational outcom...

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2015

The popular press is replete with advice for entrepreneurs to be "coachable". This is n... more The popular press is replete with advice for entrepreneurs to be "coachable". This is not surprising, given that in addition to financial capital, investors are often expected to take on a coaching...

Journal of Business Venturing

Academy of Management Annals

The entrepreneurship setting—an extreme organizational context—provides fertile ground for organi... more The entrepreneurship setting—an extreme organizational context—provides fertile ground for organizationally relevant theory testing and development. In this paper, we propose that randomized experiments in the context of entrepreneurship have considerable potential to advance theory in entrepreneurship, as well as other areas of organization science including organizational behavior and strategic management. We ground this proposition in a multipronged review of randomized experiments in entrepreneurship (REE). Based on this review of prior work and emerging trends, we provide illustrative examples of innovative theory-driven experiments and motivate future research to consider randomized experiments in the entrepreneurial context both for testing boundary conditions and enhancing organizational theorizing broadly.

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice

Given that stakeholders often commit more than capital to a startup, they commonly stress how imp... more Given that stakeholders often commit more than capital to a startup, they commonly stress how important it is for entrepreneurs to be ''coachable.'' To date, however, coachability has received little attention in entrepreneurship research. We address this gap by first establishing the entre-preneurial coachability construct and validating a measurement scale. Then, drawing on social exchange and signaling theories, we develop and test a novel framework in which coachability influences a potential investor's willingness to invest. We find that entrepreneurial coachability functions as a viable signal in a pitch setting, but this impact is conditional on the investor's prior coaching experience.

Journal of Business Venturing

We draw on gatekeeping theory to explore the individual and routine-level criticisms that en-trep... more We draw on gatekeeping theory to explore the individual and routine-level criticisms that en-trepreneurship experimentalists receive during the review process. Using a multi-study approach, we categorize common gatekeeping themes and present illustrative critiques derived from a unique sample of decision letters and a supplemental survey of entrepreneurship editors. In combination, we extend gatekeeping theory by considering how it applies to the scholarly domain , contribute to the literature by exploring an alternative theoretical explanation as to why entrepreneurship experiments might fail to survive the review process, and finally, provide contextualized recommendations for authors and reviewers of experimental research. Executive summary Entrepreneurship scholars can use a variety of methodological approaches when conducting research. This paper focuses on experiments, a rarely used method in the entrepreneurship literature, and suggests that experiments have particular advantages that can advance the scholarly understanding of entrepreneurship. Because experiments are less commonly used, we argue they may receive greater resistance than other methods. We anchor our analysis and motivate our exploratory study by leveraging gatekeeping theory. Using a multi-study approach, we categorize common rejection themes and develop an alternative explanation as to why experiments are rarely published. First, we document the results of a survey of the entrepreneurship researchers to identify their experiences in attempting to publish experiments. Second, we examine journal decision letters related to experimental studies. Finally, we present comments and advice from experienced editors to both authors and reviewers of experimental research. Using these complementary approaches, we explain why experiments could get unintentionally filtered and conclude with ex ante publication strategies for authors.

Journal of Business Venturing

We extend the entrepreneurship literature to include positive psychological capital — an individu... more We extend the entrepreneurship literature to include positive psychological capital — an individual or organization’s level of psychological resources consisting of hope, optimism, resilience, and confidence — as a salient signal in crowdfunding. We draw from the costless signaling literature to argue that positive psychological capital language usage enhances crowdfunding performance. We examine 1,726 crowdfunding campaigns from Kickstarter, finding that entrepreneurs conveying positive psychological capital experience superior fundraising performance. Human capital moderates this relationship while social capital does not, suggesting that costly signals may, at times, enhance the influence of costless signals. Post hoc analyses suggest findings generalize across crowdfunding types, but not to IPOs.

Applied Psychology, 2016

It is well understood that information cues associated with an investment opportunity generally i... more It is well understood that information cues associated with an investment opportunity generally impact ones willingness to participate in that opportunity. What is less well understood, however, is how different types of information cues affect individuals differently, and whether this effect is contingent on the decision makers individual attributes. Through a three-study experimental design involving a simulated crowdfunding portal, this research examined the effects of venture quality information and social information on participants willingness to invest in a new venture. We hypothesised that participants responsiveness to these information cues was contingent on their regulatory focus. Our results were generally supported, although some counterintuitive findings emerged regarding prevention-focused individuals. From a practical standpoint, our results suggest potential concerns regarding the general enthusiasm for crowdfunding, as well as some mitigating factors.

Small Business Economics

Over the past several decades, U.S. venture capital (VC) firms have focused their attention and i... more Over the past several decades, U.S. venture capital (VC) firms have focused their attention and investment dollars in specialized regional hubs where high-tech entrepreneurship tends to flourish. As a result, Bmain street^businesses such as retail stores, consumer services, and other non-tech businesses typically find it incredibly difficult to secure equity funding. Yet, in recent years, crowdfunding (CF) has become a viable new source of funding for entrepreneurs. Using a longitudinal assessment of VC and CF at the national, regional, and sector levels in the USA, we demonstrate how the emergence of CF has unlocked new growth opportunities for main street entrepreneurs, particularly those located in underserviced funding regions. Likewise, we expose how CF augments national and regional funding patterns by re-allocating funding to industries that VCs typically do not fund. Lastly, we discuss the practical and theoretical implications of what appears to be a shifting venture funding regime, and shed light on CF's potential role in enhancing the resurgence of main street entrepreneurship across the USA.

Small Business Economics, 2019

Over the past several decades, U.S. venture capital (VC) firms have focused their attention and i... more Over the past several decades, U.S. venture capital (VC) firms have focused their attention and investment dollars in specialized regional hubs where high-tech entrepreneurship tends to flourish. As a result, Bmain street^businesses such as retail stores, consumer services, and other non-tech businesses typically find it incredibly difficult to secure equity funding. Yet, in recent years, crowdfunding (CF) has become a viable new source of funding for entrepreneurs. Using a longitudinal assessment of VC and CF at the national, regional, and sector levels in the USA, we demonstrate how the emergence of CF has unlocked new growth opportunities for main street entrepreneurs, particularly those located in underserviced funding regions. Likewise, we expose how CF augments national and regional funding patterns by re-allocating funding to industries that VCs typically do not fund. Lastly, we discuss the practical and theoretical implications of what appears to be a shifting venture funding regime, and shed light on CF's potential role in enhancing the resurgence of main street entrepreneurship across the USA.

Applied Psychology, 2016

It is well understood that information cues associated with an investment opportunity generally i... more It is well understood that information cues associated with an investment opportunity generally impact ones willingness to participate in that opportunity. What is less well understood, however, is how different types of information cues affect individuals differently, and whether this effect is contingent on the decision makers individual attributes. Through a three-study experimental design involving a simulated crowdfunding portal, this research examined the effects of venture quality information and social information on participants willingness to invest in a new venture. We hypothesised that participants responsiveness to these information cues was contingent on their regulatory focus. Our results were generally supported, although some counterintuitive findings emerged regarding prevention-focused individuals. From a practical standpoint, our results suggest potential concerns regarding the general enthusiasm for crowdfunding, as well as some mitigating factors.

Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 2018

Given that stakeholders often commit more than capital to a startup, they commonly stress how imp... more Given that stakeholders often commit more than capital to a startup, they commonly stress how important it is for entrepreneurs to be ''coachable.'' To date, however, coachability has received little attention in entrepreneurship research. We address this gap by first establishing the entre-preneurial coachability construct and validating a measurement scale. Then, drawing on social exchange and signaling theories, we develop and test a novel framework in which coachability influences a potential investor's willingness to invest. We find that entrepreneurial coachability functions as a viable signal in a pitch setting, but this impact is conditional on the investor's prior coaching experience.

Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 2020

Small Business Economics, 2020

Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2020

Journal of Management Studies, 2020

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2020

Journal of Management, 2021

We review extant experimental work in strategic management and argue that experiments constitute ... more We review extant experimental work in strategic management and argue that experiments constitute an underused methodology that has significant potential. We examine and categorize 179 experiments from 119 published articles over a 20-year period, delineating the contributions of these experiments to the strategic management literature. In doing so, we identify topic areas in which experiments have been effectively deployed as well as several literature streams that have a limited amount of prior experimental research. We discuss specific challenges of using experiments in strategy research, especially given its strong focus on the firm level of analysis. We also emphasize approaches for how experiments can be instrumental in extending management theories and accelerating behavioral microfoundations of strategy research. In light of past contributions and gaps, we discuss specific opportunities and means of designing innovative experiments, propose novel potential research questions,...

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2015

Language conveying positive psychological capital reflects optimism, hope, resilience, and confid... more Language conveying positive psychological capital reflects optimism, hope, resilience, and confidence. Use of this language in organizational narratives has been linked to key organizational outcom...

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2015

The popular press is replete with advice for entrepreneurs to be "coachable". This is n... more The popular press is replete with advice for entrepreneurs to be "coachable". This is not surprising, given that in addition to financial capital, investors are often expected to take on a coaching...

Journal of Business Venturing

Academy of Management Annals

The entrepreneurship setting—an extreme organizational context—provides fertile ground for organi... more The entrepreneurship setting—an extreme organizational context—provides fertile ground for organizationally relevant theory testing and development. In this paper, we propose that randomized experiments in the context of entrepreneurship have considerable potential to advance theory in entrepreneurship, as well as other areas of organization science including organizational behavior and strategic management. We ground this proposition in a multipronged review of randomized experiments in entrepreneurship (REE). Based on this review of prior work and emerging trends, we provide illustrative examples of innovative theory-driven experiments and motivate future research to consider randomized experiments in the entrepreneurial context both for testing boundary conditions and enhancing organizational theorizing broadly.

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice

Given that stakeholders often commit more than capital to a startup, they commonly stress how imp... more Given that stakeholders often commit more than capital to a startup, they commonly stress how important it is for entrepreneurs to be ''coachable.'' To date, however, coachability has received little attention in entrepreneurship research. We address this gap by first establishing the entre-preneurial coachability construct and validating a measurement scale. Then, drawing on social exchange and signaling theories, we develop and test a novel framework in which coachability influences a potential investor's willingness to invest. We find that entrepreneurial coachability functions as a viable signal in a pitch setting, but this impact is conditional on the investor's prior coaching experience.

Journal of Business Venturing

We draw on gatekeeping theory to explore the individual and routine-level criticisms that en-trep... more We draw on gatekeeping theory to explore the individual and routine-level criticisms that en-trepreneurship experimentalists receive during the review process. Using a multi-study approach, we categorize common gatekeeping themes and present illustrative critiques derived from a unique sample of decision letters and a supplemental survey of entrepreneurship editors. In combination, we extend gatekeeping theory by considering how it applies to the scholarly domain , contribute to the literature by exploring an alternative theoretical explanation as to why entrepreneurship experiments might fail to survive the review process, and finally, provide contextualized recommendations for authors and reviewers of experimental research. Executive summary Entrepreneurship scholars can use a variety of methodological approaches when conducting research. This paper focuses on experiments, a rarely used method in the entrepreneurship literature, and suggests that experiments have particular advantages that can advance the scholarly understanding of entrepreneurship. Because experiments are less commonly used, we argue they may receive greater resistance than other methods. We anchor our analysis and motivate our exploratory study by leveraging gatekeeping theory. Using a multi-study approach, we categorize common rejection themes and develop an alternative explanation as to why experiments are rarely published. First, we document the results of a survey of the entrepreneurship researchers to identify their experiences in attempting to publish experiments. Second, we examine journal decision letters related to experimental studies. Finally, we present comments and advice from experienced editors to both authors and reviewers of experimental research. Using these complementary approaches, we explain why experiments could get unintentionally filtered and conclude with ex ante publication strategies for authors.

Journal of Business Venturing

We extend the entrepreneurship literature to include positive psychological capital — an individu... more We extend the entrepreneurship literature to include positive psychological capital — an individual or organization’s level of psychological resources consisting of hope, optimism, resilience, and confidence — as a salient signal in crowdfunding. We draw from the costless signaling literature to argue that positive psychological capital language usage enhances crowdfunding performance. We examine 1,726 crowdfunding campaigns from Kickstarter, finding that entrepreneurs conveying positive psychological capital experience superior fundraising performance. Human capital moderates this relationship while social capital does not, suggesting that costly signals may, at times, enhance the influence of costless signals. Post hoc analyses suggest findings generalize across crowdfunding types, but not to IPOs.

Applied Psychology, 2016

It is well understood that information cues associated with an investment opportunity generally i... more It is well understood that information cues associated with an investment opportunity generally impact ones willingness to participate in that opportunity. What is less well understood, however, is how different types of information cues affect individuals differently, and whether this effect is contingent on the decision makers individual attributes. Through a three-study experimental design involving a simulated crowdfunding portal, this research examined the effects of venture quality information and social information on participants willingness to invest in a new venture. We hypothesised that participants responsiveness to these information cues was contingent on their regulatory focus. Our results were generally supported, although some counterintuitive findings emerged regarding prevention-focused individuals. From a practical standpoint, our results suggest potential concerns regarding the general enthusiasm for crowdfunding, as well as some mitigating factors.

Small Business Economics

Over the past several decades, U.S. venture capital (VC) firms have focused their attention and i... more Over the past several decades, U.S. venture capital (VC) firms have focused their attention and investment dollars in specialized regional hubs where high-tech entrepreneurship tends to flourish. As a result, Bmain street^businesses such as retail stores, consumer services, and other non-tech businesses typically find it incredibly difficult to secure equity funding. Yet, in recent years, crowdfunding (CF) has become a viable new source of funding for entrepreneurs. Using a longitudinal assessment of VC and CF at the national, regional, and sector levels in the USA, we demonstrate how the emergence of CF has unlocked new growth opportunities for main street entrepreneurs, particularly those located in underserviced funding regions. Likewise, we expose how CF augments national and regional funding patterns by re-allocating funding to industries that VCs typically do not fund. Lastly, we discuss the practical and theoretical implications of what appears to be a shifting venture funding regime, and shed light on CF's potential role in enhancing the resurgence of main street entrepreneurship across the USA.

Small Business Economics, 2019

Over the past several decades, U.S. venture capital (VC) firms have focused their attention and i... more Over the past several decades, U.S. venture capital (VC) firms have focused their attention and investment dollars in specialized regional hubs where high-tech entrepreneurship tends to flourish. As a result, Bmain street^businesses such as retail stores, consumer services, and other non-tech businesses typically find it incredibly difficult to secure equity funding. Yet, in recent years, crowdfunding (CF) has become a viable new source of funding for entrepreneurs. Using a longitudinal assessment of VC and CF at the national, regional, and sector levels in the USA, we demonstrate how the emergence of CF has unlocked new growth opportunities for main street entrepreneurs, particularly those located in underserviced funding regions. Likewise, we expose how CF augments national and regional funding patterns by re-allocating funding to industries that VCs typically do not fund. Lastly, we discuss the practical and theoretical implications of what appears to be a shifting venture funding regime, and shed light on CF's potential role in enhancing the resurgence of main street entrepreneurship across the USA.

Applied Psychology, 2016

It is well understood that information cues associated with an investment opportunity generally i... more It is well understood that information cues associated with an investment opportunity generally impact ones willingness to participate in that opportunity. What is less well understood, however, is how different types of information cues affect individuals differently, and whether this effect is contingent on the decision makers individual attributes. Through a three-study experimental design involving a simulated crowdfunding portal, this research examined the effects of venture quality information and social information on participants willingness to invest in a new venture. We hypothesised that participants responsiveness to these information cues was contingent on their regulatory focus. Our results were generally supported, although some counterintuitive findings emerged regarding prevention-focused individuals. From a practical standpoint, our results suggest potential concerns regarding the general enthusiasm for crowdfunding, as well as some mitigating factors.

Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 2018

Given that stakeholders often commit more than capital to a startup, they commonly stress how imp... more Given that stakeholders often commit more than capital to a startup, they commonly stress how important it is for entrepreneurs to be ''coachable.'' To date, however, coachability has received little attention in entrepreneurship research. We address this gap by first establishing the entre-preneurial coachability construct and validating a measurement scale. Then, drawing on social exchange and signaling theories, we develop and test a novel framework in which coachability influences a potential investor's willingness to invest. We find that entrepreneurial coachability functions as a viable signal in a pitch setting, but this impact is conditional on the investor's prior coaching experience.