Bill Forster is an award-winning associate professor of innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic management and an experienced leader. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and researches how expert entrepreneurs make decisions, act, and interact to create value and innovate. His research has been published in premier academic journals, including the Academy of Management Review (AMR), the Journal of Business Venturing (JBV), Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, and the Journal of Business Ethics. Bill served on the editorial review board of both AMR and JBV and is currently an Editor (Psychology and Entrepreneurship) for JBV. He teaches innovation, strategic management, entrepreneurial investing, and new venture development courses.
He has previously taught at the US Air Force Academy, Lehigh University, and Willamette University and is currently at Oregon State University. Before joining academia, Bill served twelve years as an Air Force officer, leading high technology development programs and consulting with the Air Force, DoD, and other federal agencies. This leadership experience and knowledge gained in academia allow him to consult on various topics, including innovation, leadership, and strategy. He consults on various topics, including innovation, leadership, and strategy. He has worked with various for and not-for-profit companies in Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Oregon.

William Forster

Associate Professor and Editor in Entrepreneurial Psychology

Research Expertise

Psychology and Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurial Passion

Effectuation

Business Ethics

Management of Technology and Innovation

Strategy and Management

Business and International Management

Economics and Econometrics

Law

Education

Clinical Psychology

Social Psychology

Archeology

Museology

History

Accounting

Public Administration

Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Geography, Planning and Development

Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Pharmacology (medical)

About

Bill Forster is an award-winning associate professor of innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic management and an experienced leader. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and researches how expert entrepreneurs make decisions, act, and interact to create value and innovate. His research has been published in premier academic journals, including the Academy of Management Review (AMR), the Journal of Business Venturing (JBV), Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, and the Journal of Business Ethics. Bill served on the editorial review board of both AMR and JBV and is currently an Editor (Psychology and Entrepreneurship) for JBV. He teaches innovation, strategic management, entrepreneurial investing, and new venture development courses. <br> He has previously taught at the US Air Force Academy, Lehigh University, and Willamette University and is currently at Oregon State University. Before joining academia, Bill served twelve years as an Air Force officer, leading high technology development programs and consulting with the Air Force, DoD, and other federal agencies. This leadership experience and knowledge gained in academia allow him to consult on various topics, including innovation, leadership, and strategy. He consults on various topics, including innovation, leadership, and strategy. He has worked with various for and not-for-profit companies in Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Oregon.

Publications

REFLECTIONS ON THE 2010 AMR DECADE AWARD: WHITHER THE PROMISE? MOVING FORWARD WITH ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS A SCIENCE OF THE ARTIFICIAL.

Academy of Management Review / Jan 01, 2012

VENKATARAMAN, S., SARASVATHY, S. D., DEW, N., & FORSTER, W. R. (2012). REFLECTIONS ON THE 2010 AMR DECADE AWARD: WHITHER THE PROMISE? MOVING FORWARD WITH ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS A SCIENCE OF THE ARTIFICIAL. Academy of Management Review, 37(1), 21–33. https://doi.org/10.5465/armr.2011.0079

Beyond hubris: How highly confident entrepreneurs rebound to venture again

Journal of Business Venturing / Nov 01, 2010

Hayward, M. L. A., Forster, W. R., Sarasvathy, S. D., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2010). Beyond hubris: How highly confident entrepreneurs rebound to venture again. Journal of Business Venturing, 25(6), 569–578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2009.03.002

CSR and Stakeholder Theory: A Tale of Adam Smith

Journal of Business Ethics / Mar 02, 2012

Brown, J. A., & Forster, W. R. (2012). CSR and Stakeholder Theory: A Tale of Adam Smith. Journal of Business Ethics, 112(2), 301–312. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1251-4

Team Entrepreneurial Passion: Its Emergence and Influence in New Venture Teams

Academy of Management Review / Apr 01, 2017

Cardon, M. S., Post, C., & Forster, W. R. (2017). Team Entrepreneurial Passion: Its Emergence and Influence in New Venture Teams. Academy of Management Review, 42(2), 283–305. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2014.0356

Getting More out of Team Projects: Incentivizing Leadership to Enhance Performance

Journal of Management Education / Dec 01, 2006

Ferrante, C. J., Green, S. G., & Forster, W. R. (2006). Getting More out of Team Projects: Incentivizing Leadership to Enhance Performance. Journal of Management Education, 30(6), 788–797. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562906287968

Promotion- and Prevention-Focused Networking and Its Consequences for Entrepreneurial Success

Social Psychological and Personality Science / Jul 11, 2014

Pollack, J. M., Forster, W. R., Johnson, P. D., Coy, A., & Molden, D. C. (2014). Promotion- and Prevention-Focused Networking and Its Consequences for Entrepreneurial Success. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550614543030

Of Narratives and Artifacts

Academy of Management Review / Jan 01, 2013

Venkataraman, S., Sarasvathy, S. D., Dew, N., & Forster, W. R. (2013). Of Narratives and Artifacts. Academy of Management Review, 38(1), 163–166. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2012.0096

Creating value and innovation through social entrepreneurship

Frontiers in Entrepreneurship / Jan 01, 2010

Urban, B. (2010). Creating value and innovation through social entrepreneurship. In Frontiers in Entrepreneurship (pp. 115–138). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04502-8_5

The ordinary entrepreneur

The Routledge Companion to Entrepreneurship / Sep 15, 2014

The ordinary entrepreneur. (2014). In The Routledge Companion to Entrepreneurship (pp. 251–268). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203096512-29

Understanding Effectuation: Dynamics of the Effectual Process

Effectuation / Feb 29, 2008

Sarasvathy, S. D. (2008). Understanding Effectuation: Dynamics of the Effectual Process. In Effectuation. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781848440197.00016

The Fork in the Road for Social Enterprises: Leveraging Moral Imagination for Long-Term Stakeholder Support

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice / Sep 20, 2021

Brown, J. A., Forster, W. R., & Wicks, A. C. (2021). The Fork in the Road for Social Enterprises: Leveraging Moral Imagination for Long-Term Stakeholder Support. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 47(1), 91–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587211041485

Time to Emergence: The Dynamics of Effectuation in Nascent Ventures

Academy of Management Proceedings / Aug 01, 2018

York, J., Forster, W. R., Smit, W., Mauer, R., & Jones, J. (2018). Time to Emergence: The Dynamics of Effectuation in Nascent Ventures. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2018(1), 12632. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2018.12632abstract

From Goldilocks to Gump: entrepreneurial mechanisms for everyday entrepreneurs

Revista de Empreendedorismo e Gestão de Pequenas Empresas / Jan 02, 2020

Sarasvathy, S. D., Forster, W., & Ramesh, A. (2020). From Goldilocks to Gump: entrepreneurial mechanisms for everyday entrepreneurs. Revista de Empreendedorismo e Gestão de Pequenas Empresas, 9(1), 189. https://doi.org/10.14211/regepe.v9i1.1803

From Goldilocks to Gump: A Research Agenda for Entrepreneurial Mechanisms Design

Academy of Management Proceedings / Jan 01, 2013

Forster, W. R., & Ramesh, A. (2013). From Goldilocks to Gump: A Research Agenda for Entrepreneurial Mechanisms Design. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2013(1), 16996. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2013.220

Journal of Business Venturing

In Search of Research Excellence / Mar 31, 2011

Dimov, D., & Forster, W. (2011). Journal of Business Venturing. In In Search of Research Excellence. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781849807630.00021

Passion Diversity in Entrepreneurial Teams

Academy of Management Proceedings / Jul 01, 2012

Forster, W. R., Post, C., & Cardon, M. S. (2012). Passion Diversity in Entrepreneurial Teams. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2012(1), 17027. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2012.17027abstract

Entrepreneurship and Dynamic Property Rights: A Process Model

Academy of Management Proceedings / Aug 01, 2022

Dean, T. J., & Forster, W. R. (2022). Entrepreneurship and Dynamic Property Rights: A Process Model. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2022(1). https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2022.15132abstract

The Impact of Spousal Teammates on Entrepreneurial Persistence and New Venture Creation

Academy of Management Proceedings / Jan 01, 2014

Forster, W. R., & Pollack, J. M. (2014). The Impact of Spousal Teammates on Entrepreneurial Persistence and New Venture Creation. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2014(1), 15815. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2014.15815abstract

Entrepreneurial Uncertainty as a 3 Legged Stool

Academy of Management Proceedings / Jan 01, 2014

Forster, W. R., & York, J. G. (2014). Entrepreneurial Uncertainty as a 3 Legged Stool. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2014(1), 15778. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2014.15778abstract

Regulatory Focus as an Antecedent to Revenue Generation

Academy of Management Proceedings / Jul 01, 2012

Pollack, J. M., Forster, W. R., Johnson, P., & Molden, D. C. (2012). Regulatory Focus as an Antecedent to Revenue Generation. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2012(1), 10307. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2012.10307abstract

The Lighthouse-Keeper in Economics: Property Rights Entrepreneurship and the Externality Problem

Academy of Management Proceedings / Aug 01, 2020

Dean, T. J., & Forster, W. R. (2020). The Lighthouse-Keeper in Economics: Property Rights Entrepreneurship and the Externality Problem. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2020(1), 10025. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2020.10025abstract

Education

University of Virginia

PhD, Darden Graduate School of Business / May, 2009

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

MBA, Technology Management & Finance / May, 2003

Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America

Experience

Oregon State University Cascades

Associate Professor / September, 2023 — Present

Willamette University

Associate Professor of Strategic Management / August, 2018 — August, 2023

Lehigh University

Associate Professor of Management / August, 2016 — Present

Links & Social Media

Research Web Site

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