thinking-effectuation
Effectuation
Overview
Effectuation, developed by Saras Sarasvathy from studying expert entrepreneurs, inverts traditional causal reasoning. Instead of starting with a goal and finding resources, effectuators start with available means and discover goals through action. This approach is more robust in highly uncertain environments where prediction is unreliable.
Core Principle: When you can't predict the future, don't try. Instead, focus on what you can control and let the future emerge from your actions.
When to Use
- Startup and new product development
- Innovation in uncertain domains
- When prediction is unreliable
- Entering new markets
- When resources are constrained
- Side projects and experiments
- Career pivots
Decision flow:
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