Brown Bag: Assistant Professor Paul Hünermund
“Integrating Causality in Theory-Driven Entrepreneurial Decision-Making”, Date: Wednesday, 27th November 2024: 12:00-14:00, HG F33.1 (changed from WEV H 326)
The Chair of Strategic Management and Innovation at ETH invites you to the brown bag seminar with:
Paul Hünermund
Copenhagen Business School
external page Speaker website
Date: Wednesday, November 27, 12:00-14:00
Location: HG F33.1 (changed from WEV H326)
Presentation title: Integrating Causality in Theory-Driven Entrepreneurial Decision-Making
Abstract
Recent research highlights the role of theories as cognitive maps that shape effective managerial and entrepreneurial decision-making, with causality serving as a core element of these frameworks (Felin and Zenger, 2009; Camuffo et al., 2020; Sorenson, 2024). However, challenges remain in determining the best ways to incorporate causal reasoning into strategic decision-making models and identifying tools that enable practitioners to make precise causal inferences. This paper explores the potential of the structural approach to causality (Pearl, 2001; Durand and Vaara, 2009) in improving entrepreneurial decision-making processes. We hypothesize that causal theories, represented through causal diagrams, can enhance the accuracy of causal inferences within strategic decision-making contexts. To test this hypothesis, we conduct two experimental studies with a combined sample of 550 participants, evaluating the precision of causal predictions in both quasi-deterministic and probabilistic scenarios. Our findings contribute to the causality literature in machine learning and advance the emerging theory-based view in strategy.
About the speaker
Paul Hünermund is Assistant Professor at the department of Strategy & Innovation at Copenhagen Business School. He studied economics at the University of Mannheim, HEC Lausanne, and New York University. After completion of his PhD in business economics at KU Leuven in 2017, he spent three years as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, before joining CBS in September 2020. Paul's research interests lie in the area of innovation, firm strategy, R&D policy and causal inference. He is part of the editorial board of the Journal of Causal Inference and member of the executive team (responsible for social media) of the Technology and Innovation Management Division (TIM) at the Academy of Management.
We look forward to welcoming you!
The Chair of Strategic Management and Innovation