Introducing the Effectuation principles

Books we Wrote

Corporate Effectuation

Thomas Blekman
Corporate Effectuation

“You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but my only problem with this book is its title – I disliked the word “effectuation” so much that I refused to read it for some time, even though I’d been given a copy by Thomas Blekman himself when he was acting as a very helpful mentor at the February 2012 London Lean Startup Machine.

When I finally read it, I was intrigued and impressed. Blekman builds on work by Saras D. Sarasvathy, which might be summarised as “five habits of highly effective entrepreneurs”, and applies these to corporate management. Used as a system, these habits comprise a reactive and adaptive approach to getting things done which he contrasts with what he calls the causal approach of corporate projects driven by big plans. I’m not too sure about “the causal approach” as nomenclature, either, but mentally translating it into “waterfall management” worked well for me, and I found the contrast persuasive and the five principles of effectuation themselves to be empowering and inspiring.” Francis Norton.

Specimen (4.90 MB PDF)

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Effectual Entrepreneurship

Read, Sarasvathy, Dew, Wiltbank and Ohlsson
Effectual Entrepreneurship

If you want to learn about entrepreneurship in a way that emphasizes action, this book is for you. If you have already launched your entrepreneurial career and are looking for new perspectives, this book is for you. Even if you are someone who feels your day job is no longer creating anything novel or valuable, and wonders how to change it, this book is for you. Anyone using entrepreneurship to create the change they want to see in the world will find a wealth of thought-provoking material, expert advice, and practical techniques inside.

So what are you waiting for?

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Effectuation: Wie erfolgreiche Unternehmer denken, entscheiden und handeln

Von Micheal Faschingbauer
“Das bislang wichtigste Managementbuch des Jahres”. Michael Faschingbauers Buch “Effectuation” gibt all denen Schützenhilfe, die Businessplänen, Analysen und Marktforschungsdaten kritisch gegenüber stehen, wenn es darum geht, Neuland zu betreten. Vor allem aber bietet Effectuation Methoden und Prinzipien, um sich in unwägbarem Gelände zurechtzufinden.” (Managementbuch-Review.de)

“Wie erlangt man Entscheidungs- und Handlungskompetenz unter Ungewissheit? Gerade heute kommt es auf unkonventionelle und pragmatische Lösungen an, die schnell und effektiv Ziele erreichen, wenn andere noch den Konferenzraum für das Strategiemeeting suchen.” (Buchhändler heute)

Resümee: Ein spannendes Managementbuch, mit verlockenden neuen Ansätzen, guten Recherchen, das überdies auch noch wirklich flüssig geschrieben ist!

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Corporate Effectuation [Dutch]

De steeds sneller veranderende wereld vraagt om strategische flexibiliteit en actie. De toekomst laat zich niet meer voorspellen, daarvoor is de wereld complex en te zeer verbonden. De vraag is hoe u de uitdagingen het hoofd blijft bieden en steeds succesvol kunt blijven ondernemen. U moet uw eigen toekomst creëren… Maar hoe? Dat kunnen we vanaf nu leren van ervaren ondernemers. Saras Sarasvathy onderzocht, onder toeziend oog van de Nobelprijswinnaar Herbert Simon, hoe ondernemers te werk gaan.

Met inhoudelijke bijdragen van o.a,. Philips, RWE, Essent, Indra, Rabobank, Business models Inc., KVD en het Academisch Ziekenhuis Maastricht worden de vijf principes in een corporate context uitgelegd. Het boek ‘Corporate Effectuation’ biedt een geheel nieuwe kijk op effectief intern ondernemersschap waarmee u een ‘sustaining high performance organization’ kunt orkestreren.

“Bedrijven die naast de causale benadering ook Corporate Effectuation kunnen toepassen zijn de winnaars van morgen.”
Dr. Fred van Ommen, Senior Vice President Innovation Excellence bij Philips

“Thomas geeft helder inzicht in een nieuw stuk gereedschap voor corporate organisaties. Dit in een tijd waar snelheid van uitvoering en besluitvorming nieuwe cruciale kernkwaliteiten worden.” Patrick van der Pijl, Producent van Business Model Generation (Alexander Osterwalder) en CEO Business Models Inc.

Buy this book ( Managementboek.nl - € 32,95 )



Orchestration of Effectuation

Thomas Blekman & Rosemarie Konijnenburg
Orchestration of Effectuation

For several years now, Thomas has been working to bring effectual entrepreneurship to the corporate world. In the process, he has built his own toolbox on the topic. I commend his efforts and am happy to learn from him. – Prof. dr. Saras Sarasvathy, Isadore Horween Research Associate Professor and founder of the Effectuation theory, University of Virginia

In this book you will fi nd thought provoking ideas for corporate enterprises to capture the maximum value of innovation in growth, jobs and shareholder value. – Doug Berger, Managing Director, innovate, publisher The Innovators ezine

This is a must-read for unleashing the unused entrepreneurial potential within Multinationals! – Gerard van der Krogt, Managing Director at Unilever Food Solutions

Among the many merits of this book is an unparalleled wealth of tools and insights for continued development of enterprising behavior within 3M. – Rob Schokker, hr Director at 3M BeNeLux

Specimen (3.33 MB PDF)