Too good to be true? Toward an exploration of the ‘Triple Ds’ of effectuation

Effectuation has attracted wide interest and has become an influential branch within the entrepreneurship literature. However, like much of this literature, effectuation research has largely focused on exploring only its bright sides while downplaying or neglecting its not-so-bright sides. This has left critical blind spots on the map of effectuation research. We build on Shepherd's taxonomy of the ‘Triple Ds’—the dark, down, and destructive sides of entrepreneurship—to begin to explore these blind spots and suggest different mechanisms through which the ‘Triple Ds’ of effectuation unfold. Our aim herein is to stimulate further research that expands effectuation beyond its well-trodden paths and sheds light on its neglected dark, down, and destructive sides. This will contribute to a more complete theoretical understanding of effectuation and open up important research avenues that were previously blocked. Moreover, it will also help educators adopt and teach a more balanced and realistic view of effectuation and enable practicing entrepreneurs to make more informed judgments by considering the potential ‘costs’ of applying specific effectuation principles.