Entrepreneurial Decision‐Making and Behavior Under Radical Uncertainty: Boundaries and Boundlessness of Diving Into the Unknown

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Authors: Bob Bastian, Leonie Baldacchino, Laëtitia Gabay‐Mariani, Sara Sassetti, Massimiliano Matteo Pellegrini, Andrea Caputo
Cited by: 1
References: 47

Abstract

ABSTRACT This editorial introduces radical uncertainty as a multifaceted phenomenon in entrepreneurship that extends beyond traditional risk‐uncertainty distinctions. Radical uncertainty involves unpredictable outcomes with epistemic gaps beyond knowable outcomes that challenge conventional decision‐making models. This Special Issue presents 13 papers examining how entrepreneurs navigate this type of uncertainty through cognitive mechanisms, relational processes, and value‐driven strategies. The contributions reveal radical uncertainty as ontological, epistemic, relational, and identity based. As a result, we propose an integrative model that connects the nature of uncertainty to navigation mechanisms and consequential entrepreneurial outcomes. In this way, the papers in the Special Issue advance our understanding of resilience, adaptation, and purpose‐driven action to cope with radical uncertainty.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences Management and Organizational Studies Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research

Publication details

Journal / source
Strategic Change
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
35
Issue
2
Pages
155–162
Publication date
1 February 2026
Language
EN