Our Research
At the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, we explore how entrepreneurial behavior and innovation processes can contribute to the sustainable transformation of economy and society. Our interdisciplinary research spans psychological foundations of entrepreneurial decision-making, sustainable business models, and entrepreneurship in emerging economies, as well as strategic, behavioral, and data-driven innovation management – with a particular focus on the agricultural sector. Together, we develop research-based approaches to foster entrepreneurial solutions to the major challenges of our time.
Research at the Chair of Entrepreneurial Behaviour
We develop a holistic, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspective on entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is a lever for social change. We therefore investigate how entrepreneurs can make an effective contribution to sustainable social development. The chair's research activities will focus on theory-based empirical studies. The fascination of our research stems from four overarching questions and focal points:
(i) The first area of research deals with the connection between psychology and entrepreneurship and explores questions such as how startups come about and how founders make decisions.
(ii) The overarching question of the second area of research is how founders develop sustainable business models and how they can be drivers of innovation for the major challenges of our time. In this context, it is also interesting to consider regenerative entrepreneurship inspired by agriculture.
(iii) In the third area of research, we concentrate on entrepreneurial behaviour in developing and emerging countries. As entrepreneurship can be particularly beneficial in these countries we examine the mechanisms that promote or inhibit entrepreneurship there.
(iv) In the fourth area of research, we explore how entrepreneurs undergo transformations; for example, to what extent they need to change or adapt their behaviour in response to technological progress and climate change.
1. Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Behaviour:
How can entrepreneurial behaviour be predicted?
2. Sustainable Entrepreneurial Behaviour
How can entrepreneurs contribute to a sustainable and regenerative future?
3. Entrepreneurial Behaviour in Emerging Economies
How can entrepreneurship be promoted in emerging markets?
4. Changes in Entrepreneurial Behaviour
How do entrepreneurs behave along the entrepreneurial process?
Research at the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management in Agribusiness
Our team integrates interdisciplinary research on strategic, behavioural and computer-based technology and innovation management at the interface with entrepreneurship.
Innovation and technology are key to meeting the increasingly complex challenges of the future, both in a business context and for society as a whole, and particularly in agribusiness.
We therefore explore how innovation and new technologies can promote sustainable and economic development in companies. In doing so, we also consider the broader societal implications and challenges associated with new technologies. Our research is deeply interdisciplinary and is often driven by consortia with partners from industry and academia.
The research activities can be divided into three main areas, each of which is viewed from a business perspective:
- Strategic technology and innovation management: How can companies strategically promote and utilise technologies and innovations to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage?
- Behaviour-oriented technology and innovation management: What must companies do as organisations to generate new technologies and innovations and use them in the best possible way?
- Computer-based technology and innovation management: How can computer-based tools and methods help companies develop innovative technologies and use them profitably?
These three core areas and their interfaces form the basis of our research agenda, which aims to deliver both theoretical-empirical and practical insights in order to meet the dynamic demands of modern society.