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The purpose of this paper is to address the stages of development of effectuation theory and highlight the progression from the early years’ conceptual articles to the recent empirical papers, characterized by specific, measurable research questions.

In total, 81 peer-reviewed academic journal articles featuring effectuation as a main subject were analyzed using Scandura and Williams’ (2000) modified version of McGrath’s typology of research strategies. The framework of Edmonson and McManus (2007) is employed to evaluate the maturity of the research program.

The main outcome is to introduce four main streams linked to effectuation theory in the current scientific dialogue: innovation and product development, internationalization, effectuation and causation simultaneously, and entrepreneurial expertise.

The current study is reliant on retrospective data, which might influence the accuracy and completeness of this study, which typically leads to rationalized versions of history-associated causal decision making.

This study illustrates why effectuation theory should no longer be associated only with new ventures and startups. The majority of recent studies have presented the results of effectuation logic in the context of established companies.

This follow-up review presents evidence that effectuation research has moved on from the nascent to the intermediate stage of development. Furthermore, the results indicate that it has already begun its transition toward the mature stage of development.

This study reveals the ongoing spirited battle between the convergent and divergent groups involved in the scientific debate around effectuation theory.

This study aims to investigate the antecedents of the internationalisation strategy i.e., effectuation, causation and bricolage on the international performance of the firm.

In total, the study uses 138 peer-reviewed articles on effectuation, causation, effectual/causal decision-making logics and related issues such as the impact of antecedent factors of international strategy (i.e. effectuation, causation and bricolage) on the international performance of the firm.

Even though the theory of effectuation was formulated in 2001, to a large extent it has still not moved away from the realm of small entrepreneurial firms. The development of effectuation logic has accelerated in recent years, but the bulk of the research still focusses on small entrepreneurial firms rather than on the application of the theory in larger, non-entrepreneurial firms. Furthermore, effectuation theory would benefit from being developed into the realm of psychology and sociology.

This study offers a conceptual model on how effectuation, causation and bricolage influence internationalisation strategy, which, in turn, impacts the international performance of the firm. Furthermore, the study discusses the effectual logic for larger firms. The exponential growth of studies on effectuation during recent years, i.e. 2017 to the first quarter of 2020, shows that researchers have responded to calls by leading authors stating that effectuation theory is a field with great potential for further theoretical developments. This study presents a literature review of the critical issue of the engagement of internationalisation strategies with effectuation, causation, bricolage and the international performance of the firm compared to the earlier literature review for the period 2001–2016 by Matalamäki (2017) and Karami et al. (2019) on effectuation and internationalisation.

The purpose of this research was to empirically examine the career transitions of mid-career African American women leaving traditional careers for entrepreneurship. The authors illustrate how transition theory and effectuation principles ameliorate an African American woman's transition to entrepreneurship.

The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with nine African American woman entrepreneurs. The data collected were evaluated through the lens of transition theory and effectuation theory.

The study results show that despite being the chief officer, many African American women still face inequalities when negotiating business deals, interacting with partners and when seeking capital for their business. Effectuation theory partially supports an African American woman's career transition to entrepreneurship, but the theory does not fully address the unique experiences of this demographic.

The results of this study reveal that effectuation principles do not fully explain the entrepreneurial career transition experiences of African American women. Theory development and extensions of existing theories should consider the potential discriminatory practices that limit financial resources and strategic partnerships for African American women entrepreneurs. The authors also advocate for consideration of identities, particularly related to gender and race, as factors that contribute to entrepreneurial experiences.

The study findings support the notion that each woman's situation will be different and unique, requiring aspiring African American woman entrepreneurs to assess their individual situation. Consistent access to minority-specific programs can help aspiring African American women entrepreneurs visualize her new identity and provide the support needed to enhance her career transition. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, so each woman will need to craft her own individualized plan.

Findings from this study solidify the role of African American women entrepreneurs as business leaders with influence and direct impact on the US economy. Their success enables African American women to contribute to more inclusive societies through their service to diverse members of society. In addition, their attainment of success serves as a testimony to aspiring African American women that entrepreneurial success is achievable, encouraging more diversity in entrepreneurship.

Few entrepreneurial studies exist on both women and racial minorities, resulting in a paucity of strategies to support African American women throughout their entrepreneurial journey. The results of this study revealed barriers which require specific strategies to address discriminatory lending practices and acceptance when forging new business relationships.

This paper aims to explain the occurrence of sustainable entrepreneurship in the underresearched sub-Saharan Africa context and to improve the understanding of how effectuation manifests in this context.

This study uses a qualitative research approach based on multiple case studies. Responses were sourced from owners, employees, suppliers, the community and customers of sustainable entrepreneurial firms. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews, document reviews and observations. The Gioia analytical approach was used.

Overall, the authors find the concept of effectuation to be well-suited to capturing the processes through which individuals with limited means seek to engage in sustainable entrepreneurship. The authors also identify three pervasive practices that are key to understanding effectuation in the developing country context: complementation of indigenous knowledge with modern science, compassion and pluriactivity.

This study underscores the importance of co-creation, diversification of revenue sources and the role of emotional awareness and interpersonal skills in entrepreneurial endeavors.

This study, therefore, contributes new knowledge about the mechanisms through which entrepreneurs faced with resource constraints use control as opposed to prediction strategies to exploit sustainable entrepreneurship opportunities. In so doing, this study contributes to entrepreneurship theory by proposing the integration of cognitive and affective dimensions in realizing sustainable entrepreneurship goals.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the theoretical discussion of effectuation since the seminal paper in 2001 and to propose an agenda for future studies.

Systematic literature review and content analysis of 71 papers.

Most papers performed a replication of the concepts empirically, and few studies proposed to understand theoretical aspects of effectuation, among them, some authors presented theoretical advances to improve the approach and others participated in an ongoing debate that shows there is no consensus on whether the approach is theory or if considered, appears to be under construction at a rudimentary level or being questioned.

The method requires authors to make choices, so the database used and the criteria defined for searching papers that were analyzed are the main limitations of this research.

The authors suggest that researchers, teachers and practitioners use effectuation analytically and reflectively.

The authors present and analyze the current theoretical debate on effectuation. Results suggest the need for new discussions about the concepts, as well as new theoretical efforts of the researchers to analyze the potentialities and limitations of this approach.

Among empirical and applied research, with replications of the concepts of effectuation, this research contributes to a theoretical discussion based on a systematic literature review, seeking to bring new reflections about this approach. Additionally, the authors present an agenda of theoretical gaps for the development of future research.

This study enriches the theory of effectuation by discussing the four independent dimensions of effectuation and their relationships with causation. Additionally, we fill the gap in prior literature by showing how entrepreneurial experience moderates the relationship between effectuation and innovativeness of the venture. Our study of 171 practising entrepreneurs regarding their entrepreneurial decision-making logic yielded multiple findings. The authors find that entrepreneurs rely on causation as well as effectuation in their decision-making; the more experienced entrepreneurs are, the more they actually use causation; and entrepreneurial experience moderates the relationship between effectuation and innovativeness of the venture firm.

The purpose of this article is to extend effectuation theory at the front end by building cognitive foundations for the effectual design process.

We adopt an integrative conceptual approach drawing on design cognition theory to explain entrepreneurial cognition.

We find a significant gap in the entrepreneurial cognition literature with respect to effectuation processes. We thus integrate the Situated Function–Behavior–Structure framework from design theory to elaborate on the cognitive processes of effectuation, specifically with regard to the opportunity development process. This framework describes the cognitive subprocesses by which entrepreneurs means and ends are cyclically (re)formulated over time until a viable “opportunity” emerges, and the venture is formalized, or else, the entrepreneur abandons the venture and exits.”

Unravelling this entrepreneurial design process may facilitate more appropriate and effective design work by entrepreneurs, leading to more successful product designs. It also should facilitate the development of better design techniques and instruction.

This research contributes to new cognitive foundations for effectuation theory and entrepreneurial process research. It better explains how means are transformed into valuable goods over time through an iterative reconsideration of means-ends frameworks. This theoretical elaboration will expectedly facilitate additional research into the iterative cognitive processes of design and enable more formulaic design thinking.

This study aims to examine the effect of the effectuation set of means on new venture performance in the context of Tanzania’s emerging economy. To determine how new ventures, benefit from the effectuation set of means experienced entrepreneurs possess, this study examines the role of the flexibility principle of effectuation as a key mediator.

The research is quantitative in nature, and a survey questionnaire was used to get data from five cities of Tanzania. In total, 350 samples obtained for analysis. The hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling were used for testing the hypotheses.

The effectuation set of means is affirmed to have a positive effect on new venture performance. The flexibility principle plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between the effectuation set of means and new venture performance.

This empirical evidence contributes to the progress of the theory of effectuation and also provides managerial guidelines for entrepreneurs who operate their new ventures and face uncertain business environments.

The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of a born global firm's early internationalization process and the entrepreneur's decisions regarding internationalization by using effectuation theory.

An explorative case study is used to explore whether effectuation theory is a fruitful alternative perspective compared with the dominant paradigm (causation), which is primarily used in earlier studies on born globals.

The study shows how a born global company could enter many markets in a short time, by co‐operating with local network partners. The founders' prior knowledge and networks were important to understand the rapid international expansion. Effectuation theory focuses on the entrepreneurs' ability to create opportunities together with network partners and is a useful tool to understand the development in the born global firm.

The study shows that effectuation theory holds promise for developing the international entrepreneurship area. Future research is recommended to focus not only on the entrepreneur's competencies, but also on the entrepreneur's behavior, including during the time before they started the firm.

Decision‐makers in the early development of born global firms are recommended to use his/her own and his/her company's resources and network. Also advantage should be taken of opportunities when they are recognized or created, instead of focusing on traditional planning activities.

There are few studies that have used effectuation theory as a basis for understanding the early development of a born global firm.

Innovation strategy is critical for firms to achieve success in the market. However, relatively little is known about what factors promote the development of innovation strategy in high-tech new ventures. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by developing and examining the theoretical model that links effectuation to innovation strategy through opportunity shaping in high-tech new ventures.

The proposed theoretical model is developed by integrating the effectuation theory, innovation strategy literature and opportunity literature. Empirical data were collected from 212 entrepreneurs and top executives in Chinese high-tech new ventures through a survey. Baron and Kenny’s (1986) mediation and moderation model assessment procedures are used to analyze the data.

The empirical results indicate that effectuation has a positive effect on innovation strategy and opportunity shaping. Opportunity shaping has a positive effect on innovation strategy, and its effect is positively moderated by competitive intensity. The author also finds that opportunity shaping plays a fully mediating role in the relationship between effectuation and innovation strategy.

These findings enrich innovation strategy research and advance the effectuation theory by providing empirical evidence of the impact of effectuation on innovation strategy in high-tech new ventures. The findings also contribute to a growing stream of research on opportunity and integrating opportunity shaping into a more complete framework of innovation. Moreover, this research provides deeper insight into the missing links between effectuation and innovation strategy in high-tech new ventures by uncovering the mediating role of opportunity shaping.