The synergy of causation and effectuation in the process of entrepreneurial networking: Implications for opportunity development

Abstract

The resource-based view of entrepreneurial networking demonstrates how relationships are formed instrumentally through the goal-driven decision-making of causation. At the same time, evidence shows that under conditions of uncertainty, entrepreneur networking follows the non-predictive decision-making of effectuation. However, little is known about how entrepreneurs combine these two logics, that is, causation and effectuation, for opportunity development. This study identifies four hybrid combinations of causal and effectual networking behaviour. The outcome of this hybrid networking is a synergistic effect on opportunity development. This article contributes to the entrepreneurial effectuation research, analyses of entrepreneurial networking and the literature on entrepreneurial opportunity.