Entrepreneurship & innovation

The “pivot” has become part of startup lexicon. But pivot-thinking may not work for all companies, and substantially changing an organization’s strategy can be difficult and expensive for entrepreneurs. Darden experts weigh in.

How do successful entrepreneurs think? Darden Professor Saras Sarasvathy discusses her study of “effectuation” and the unique logic expert entrepreneurs employ to create the future, rather than simply predict it.

Entrepreneurial activity is concentrated in large markets more than ever, but small and midsize cities increasingly view startup culture as a key ingredient to a thriving future. A new Darden project aims to unearth how those cities can build an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

This article, adapted from Professor Jeanne Liedtka and Timothy Ogilvie’s "10 Tools for Design Thinking," includes steps managers can use to identify and execute opportunities for growth and innovation.

Darden’s Gosia Glinska details tips from experts Rob Wiltbank, Damon DeVito and Craig Redinger on the rising practice of angel investing.

Sean Carr, executive director of the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, speaks with Professor John Haltiwanger from the University of Maryland, whose research has played a major role in our understanding the determinants of firm-level job creation, job destruction, firm dynamics and economic performance.

We focus on the three largest emitters of CO2 – steel, cement, and petrochemicals – and explore some of the ideas and technologies best positioned to decarbonize these industries, and the challenges faced for broader adoption. We then discuss the levers and opportunities in the industrial sector with Darden Professor Mike Lenox.

As executives and recruiters choose talent for boards, they should consider knowledge and functional diversity.

Done right, "agile" is what every organization wants: a workhorse for applied innovation. Darden's Alex Cowan breaks down the process by which teams can determine which agile practices will best help them innovate.