WILLIAM FORSTER
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY • 621 TAYLOR STREET • BETHLEHEM, PA 18015
610-758-3435 • [email protected]
EDUCATION
University of Virginia, Darden School of Business, Charlottesville, VA
PhD – Business Administration: Entrepreneurship, Strategy, and Business Ethics
2009
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO
Master of Business Administration, Technology Management and Finance
2003
Air Force Institute of Technology, Dayton, OH
Master of Science, Cost Analysis
1997
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
Bachelor of Science, Management
1995
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Lehigh University, College of Business and Economics, Bethlehem, PA
Associate Professor of Management
Assistant Professor of Management
2016-Present
2009-2016
United States Air Force Academy, Management Department, Colorado Springs, CO
Instructor of Management
2003-2005
HONORS, AWARDS, AND GRANTS
Class of 2015 Excellence in Teaching Award, MBA Program, Lehigh University
2015
Best Conceptual Paper Award, Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division
2013
Primary Investigator, Kauffman Firm Survey Qualitative Study
- 3-year, $175,500 data collection and research grant
2012-2015
Promising Paper Award, Kauffman Foundation
2011
Entrepreneurship Research Exemplar, Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division
2009
Dissertation Grant, Kauffman Foundation & National Opinion Research Center
- $10,000 research grant
2008
Founders’ Award for Emerging Scholars in Business Ethics, Society for Business Ethics
2007
PhD Fellowship, United States Air Force
2005-2007
James R. Woody Outstanding Educator Award (Upper Level), US Air Force Academy
2005
Meritorious Service Medal, United States Air Force
2005
EDITORIAL ACTIVITIES
Editorial Review Board, Academy of Management Review
Selected by Roy Suddaby – Editor 2011-2014
Selected by Bella Rose Ragins – Editor 2014-2017
2011-Present
JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
Cardon, M., Post, C.A., & Forster, W.R. (In-press). The Emergence and Influence of Team
Entrepreneurial Passion in New Venture Teams. Academy of Management Review.
Pollack, J.M., Forster, W.R., Johnson, P.D., A. Coy, & Molden, D. A. 2015. Promotion- and PreventionFocused Networking and its Consequences for Entrepreneurial Success. Social Psychological and
Personality Science, 6(1): 3-12. *Lead article
Venkataraman, S., Sarasvathy, S.D., Dew, N. & Forster, W.R. 2013. Dialogue: Of Narratives and
Artifacts. Academy of Management Review, 38(1): 163-166.
Brown, J.A. & Forster, W. R. 2013. CSR and Stakeholder Theory: A Tale of Adam Smith. Journal of
Business Ethics, 112(2) 301-312.
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.
Hayward, M. L., 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) 569578. *Selected by the Academy of Management’s Entrepreneurship Division as a 2009 research exemplar
paper.
Ferrante, C. J., Green, S. J. & Forster, W. R. 2006. Getting More out of Team Projects: Incentivizing
Leadership to Enhance Performance. Journal of Management Education, 30(6) 788-797.
BOOK CHAPTER
Sarasvathy, S.D., Ramesh, A. & Forster, W.R. 2014. The Ordinary Entrepreneur. In F. Welter & T. Baker
(Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Entrepreneurship: 227-244. Routledge Press.
REFEREED CONFERENCE BEST PAPER PROCEEDINGS
Sarasvathy, S.D., Forster, W.R. & Ramesh, A. 2013. From Goldilocks to Gump: A Research Agenda for
Entrepreneurial Mechanisms Design. Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings.
Forster, W.R. & Jansen K.J. 2010. Co-Creating New Ventures: Attraction, Search, and Uncertainty in
Founding Partnership Formation. Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, Vol. 30, Iss. 10 (2), 115. (best paper proceedings for the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference)
MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW
Forster, W.R., Küechle, G. & Sarasvathy, S.D. Crossing the Valley of Despondence: How Competence,
Confidence and Learning Interact to Foster Habitual Entrepreneurship. Journal of Business
Venturing (2nd round revise & re-submit).
*Smit, W., Mauer, R. Forster, W.R., & York, J. Speed to Venture - The Temporal Dynamics of NonPredictive Strategy in New Firm Creation. Strategic Management Journal (revise & re-submit).
*Equal authorship
WORKING PAPERS
Forster, W.R. & Pollack, J.M. The Impact of Spousal Teammates on Entrepreneurial Persistence and New
Venture Creation. Business Horizons (preparing for resubmittal after a reject & resubmit).
Zane, L.J. & Forster, W.R. What is an Opportunity Worth? Opportunity Value and the Decision to
Venture. (preparing for submission to Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice).
Sarasvathy, S.D., Forster, W.R. & Ramesh, A. From Goldilocks to Gump: A research agenda for
entrepreneurial mechanisms design. (preparing for submission to Entrepreneurship Theory and
Practice).
Forster, W.R. The Antecedents of Founding Partnerships: A Tale of Co-Founder Perceptions and
Interactions. (preparing for submission to the Journal of Business Venturing).
*Brown, J.A., Forster, W.R., & Wicks, A. The Social Entrepreneur and Environmental Sustainability:
Rethinking The Role of Ethics, Legitimacy and Value Creation. (preparing for submission to the
Journal of Management Studies). *Equal authorship.
Forster, W.R. Founding Partnerships’ Impact on New Venture Performance. (targeting the Journal of
Management Studies).
Mahony, D.M., Forster, W.R., & Brown, J.A. Overconfidence and Team Processes: The effects of hubris
on founding team decision-making. (targeting the Journal of Business Venturing)
DATA COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
Primary Investigator - Kauffman Firm Survey Qualitative Data Collection. Funded by a $175,500 grant
from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. (2012-2015). Data collection complete, analysis
ongoing.
Senior Research Advisor - The “Open Ask” Data Collection Project. Funded by a grant from the
American Express Corporation. (with Sarasvathy, S. (PI), & Ramesh, A. 2012-2014). Data
collection complete, analysis ongoing.
Co-Investigator – Cohesiveness, Conflict, Confidence and Social Orientation as Factors for Firm
Performance (with Brown, J.A., & Mahony, D. 2011-present). Data collection ongoing.
REFEREED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
Vedula, S., Forster, W.R., Dinger, J.M., & Conger, M.J. 2013 The Impact of Regional Human Capital and
Socio-cultural Institutions on the Functional Composition of Founding Teams (summary).
Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research: Vol. 33(9).
Forster, W.R. 2012. Partnerships and Performance: A Mixed-Methods, Longitudinal Study of Founding
Partnerships’ Effects on New Venture Performance (summary). Frontiers of Entrepreneurship
Research, 32(10).
Forster, W. R. & Hess, E. D. 2012 The ‘Penrose Effect’ and new venture growth (interactive paper),
Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, 32(10).
Forster, W.R. & York, J.G. 2011. When the Second Person Enters the Scene: Intersubjective Knowledge
and Perceived Environmental Uncertainty (summary). Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research,
31(4).
Mauer, R., Smit, W., Forster W.R., & York, J.G. 2010. Curry in a Hurry? A Longitudinal Study on
Effectual Performance by Nascent Entrepreneurs (summary). Frontiers of Entrepreneurship
Research, 30(6).
Forster, W.R., Küchle, G.& Sarasvathy, S.D. 2010. Crossing the Valley of Despondence: The Role of
Confidence in Building Entrepreneurial Competence. Proceedings of the Southern Management
Association Annual Meeting.
Forster, W.R. 2008 The Enduring Partnership (summary). Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research,
28(11).
Forster, W.R. & York, J.G. 2008 The Effects of Effectual Logic: Nascent Entrepreneurial Performance
and Effectuation (summary). Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, 28(10).
REFEREED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Brown, J.A., Forster, W.R., and Wicks, A.C. 2016 (accepted). The Social Entrepreneur: The Importance
of Moral Imagination, Microsocial Norms and Moral Legitimacy in Managing Stakeholder
Perceptions. International Association of Business and Society Conference. Park City, Utah.
Mahony, D.M., Forster, W.R., & Brown, J.A. 2015. Dispersion in Corporate Social Responsibility
Orientation and Team Cohesion and Conflict: The moderating Role of Team Trust.
17th European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology. Oslo, Norway.
Mahony, D.M., Forster, W.R., & Brown, J.A. 2015. Overconfidence and Team Processes: The effects of
hubris on founding team decision-making. 17th European Association of Work and
Organizational Psychology. Oslo, Norway.
Forster, W.R. & York, J.G. 2014. Entrepreneurial Uncertainty as a 3-Legged Stool. Academy of
Management Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Forster, W.R. & Pollack, J.M. 2014. The Impact of Spousal Teammates on Entrepreneurial Persistence
and New Venture Creation. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Forster, W.R. & Ramesh, A. 2013. From Goldilocks to Gump: A Research Agenda for Entrepreneurial
Mechanisms Design. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL.
* Best Conceptual Paper Award, Entrepreneurship Division.
* Selected for inclusion in the Best Paper Proceedings.
Vedula, S., Forster, W.R., Dinger, J., & Conger, M. 2013. The impact of regional human capital and
socio-cultural institutions on the functional composition of founding teams. Babson College
Entrepreneurship Research Conference, Lyon, France.
Forster, W.R., & York, J.G. 2012. Entrepreneurial Action as a 3-Legged Stool: Uncertainty,
Entrepreneurship and Intersubjective Knowledge. Strategic Management Society Annual Meeting,
Prague, Czech Republic.
Forster, W.R., Post, C.A., & Cardon, M. 2012. Passion Diversity in Entrepreneurial Teams. Academy of
Management Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.
Pollack, J.M., Forster, W.R., Johnson, P.D., & Molden, D. 2012. A Psychological Perspective on
Entrepreneurs’ Networking Behavior: Regulatory Focus as an Antecedent to Revenue
Generation. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.
Forster, W.R. 2012. Partnerships and Performance: A Mixed-Methods, Longitudinal Study of Founding
Partnerships’ Effects on New Venture Performance. Babson College Entrepreneurship Research
Conference, Fort Worth, TX.
Forster, W.R. & Hess, E.D. 2012. The ‘Penrose Effect’ and New Venture Growth. Babson College
Entrepreneurship Research Conference, Fort Worth, TX.
Brown, J.A., & Forster, W.R. 2012. Moral Legitimacy and Social Entrepreneurship. Annual
Sustainability, Ethics, and Entrepreneurship Conference, Denver, CO.
Forster, W.R. 2011. Partners and Profits: A Hybrid, Longitudinal Study of Founding Partnerships’ Effects
on New Firm Profitability. Fox School of Business/Kauffman Foundation Conference on
Empirical Entrepreneurship, Philadelphia, PA.
*KFS Promising Paper Award, Kauffman Foundation
Forster, W.R. & York, J.G. 2011. When the Second Person Enters the Scene: Intersubjective Knowledge
and Perceived Environmental Uncertainty. Babson College Entrepreneurship Research
Conference, Syracuse, NY.
Brown, J.A. & Forster, W.R. 2010. CSR and Stakeholder Theory: A Tale of Adam Smith. 17th Annual
International Vincentian Business Ethics Conference, Chicago.
Forster, W.R., Küchle, G.& Sarasvathy, S.D. 2010. Crossing the Valley of Despondence: The Role of
Confidence in Building Entrepreneurial Competence. Southern Management Association Annual
Conference, St. Petersburg, FL.
Zane, L.J. & Forster, W.R. 2010. What is an Opportunity Worth? Opportunity Value and the Decision to
Venture. Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Montreal.
Forster, W.R. & Jansen K.J. 2010. Co-creating New Ventures: Attraction, Search, And Uncertainty In
Founding Partnership Formation. Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference,
Lausanne, Switzerland.
Mauer, R., Smit, W., Forster W.R., & York, J.G. 2010. Curry in a Hurry? A Longitudinal Study on
Effectual Performance by Nascent Entrepreneurs. Babson College Entrepreneurship Research
Conference, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Forster, W.R. 2009. The Genesis of Entrepreneurial Founding Partnerships: Why do some Co-found?
Strategic Management Society Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.
Forster, W.R. 2009. The Effects of Effectual Logic: Nascent Entrepreneurial Performance and
Effectuation. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Chicago.
Forster, W.R. 2008. Co-Founding New Ventures: Founding Team Structure and Relationships in New
Venture Creation. 5th Annual Symposium on the PSED, Greenville, SC.
Forster, W. R. & Sarasvathy, S. D. 2008. When Hubris is Good: An Error Based Theory of
Entrepreneurial Overconfidence. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Anaheim, Ca.
*Nominated for the Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division’s IDEA Award
Forster, W. R. 2008. The Enduring Partnership. Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference,
Chapel Hill, NC.
Forster, W. R. & York, J. G. 2008. Effectuation and Nascent Entrepreneurs: Evidence from the Panel
Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics. Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference,
Chapel Hill, NC.
Forster, W. R. & Sarasvathy, S.D. 2008. When Hubris is Good: An Error Based Theory of
Entrepreneurial Overconfidence. Danish Research Unit for Industrial Dynamics - Dynamics of
Institution and Markets in Europe (DRUID-DIME) Conference, Aalborg, Denmark.
Forster, W. R. 2007. Adam Smith and the Limits of CSR. Society for Business Ethics Annual Meeting,
Philadelphia, PA.
Forster, W. R. & York, J. G. 2007. Effectuation and Nascent Entrepreneurs: Evidence from the Panel
Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics. Kauffman Foundation Panel Study of Entrepreneurial
Dynamics Conference, Charleston, SC.
Forster, W. R. 2007. Moral Legitimacy and the Social Entrepreneur. Business Ethics in a Global World:
China, India and Beyond Conference, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara
University, Santa Clara, CA.
Forster, W. R. 2006. The Internet and Dewey’s Great Community. Society for Business Ethics Annual
Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
INVITED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS & SERVICE
Forster, W.R. & Righi, N. 2014. Using Case and Simulation Based Teaching in a Distance Education
"Classroom LIVE" Course. 2014 Symposium on Teaching and Learning at Lehigh, Bethlehem,
PA.
Forster, W.R. 2010. Partners and Profits: A Hybrid, Longitudinal Study of Founding Partnerships and
New Firm Profitability. Kauffman Firm Survey Workshop, Montreal.
Forster, W.R. 2008. Founding Partnerships: A Research Agenda. Colloquium for Organizational
Research Excellence. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Senior Research Mentor: 2012 Kauffman Firm Survey Research Conference, Kansas City, MO.
Panelist: 2009. Publishing in Top Tier Management and Entrepreneurship Journals. Entrepreneurship
Research Exemplars Conference, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Lehigh University
Fall 2015
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience
(MBA Strategic Management Capstone Class)
Spring 2015
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience
MGT 301, Strategic Management in a Global Environment
(Undergraduate Strategic Management Capstone Class)
Fall 2014
GBEN 424, Entrepreneurship & Innovation: From Idea to Opportunity
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience
Student Evaluations
4.9/5.0
4.7/5.0
5.0/5.0
4.9/5.0
4.4/5.0
Spring 2014
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience – 2 Sections
4.8/5.0
Fall 2013
GBEN 492, Entrepreneurship & Innovation: From Idea to Opportunity
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience
4.9/5.0
4.8/5.0
Spring 2013
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience – 2 Sections
4.9/5.0
Fall 2012
GBEN 492, Entrepreneurship & Innovation: From Idea to Opportunity
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience
5.0/5.0
4.8/5.0
Spring 2012
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience – 2 Sections
4.8/5.0
Fall 2011
GBEN 492, Entrepreneurship & Innovation: From Idea to Opportunity
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience
4.8/5.0
4.8/5.0
Spring 2011
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience - 2 sections
4.7/5.0
Fall 2010
MBA 406, MBA Integrative Experience
MGT 301, Business Management Policies
4.5/5.0
4.8/5.0
Spring 2010
MGT 301, Business Management Policies - 3 sections
MGT 300, Apprentice Teaching
Fall 2009
MGT 301, Business Management Policies
4.7/5.0
4.9/5.0
United States Air Force Academy
Spring 2005
MGT 472, Strategic Management - 4 sections
* James R. Woody Outstanding Educator Award (Upper Level)
5.7/6.0
Fall 2004
MGT 341, Financial Accounting - 4 sections
Course Director: 3 Instructors & 173 Students
5.8/6.0
Spring 2004
MGT 342, Managerial Accounting - 3 sections
5.6/6.0
Fall 2003
MGT 341, Financial Accounting - 3 sections
5.6/6.0
SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION
Grant Reviewer, National Science Foundation (2011-2012)
Committee Member
Research Committee, Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division (2013-present)
Dissertation Committee Member
Kip Kiefer, Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship and Strategy (2013), University of Colorado
“Predicting and Examining the Links Between IPO Hype, Managerial Expectations and Firm
Outcomes”
Matt Saboe, Ph.D. in Economics (2013), Lehigh University
“Entrepreneurship across Space: Do Cities Affect the Emergence, Survival, and Capital
Acquisition of Entrepreneurs?”
Advisory Board
Sustainability, Ethics and Entrepreneurship (SEE) Annual International Conference (2013-present)
Ad Hoc Reviewer
Journal of Business Venturing, Organization Science, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal,
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Small Business Management, Canadian
Journal of Administrative Sciences, Innovation: Management, Policy & Practice
Academic Conference Service
Reviewer, Academy of Management Annual Conference, Strategic Management Society Annual
Conference, Southern Management Association Annual Conference
Session Chair/Discussant, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Babson Entrepreneurship
Research Conference, Society for Business Ethics Annual Conference, Southern Management
Society Annual Conference
SERVICE TO LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
Director
Lehigh Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs (2014-present)
Certificate Program in Non-profit Leadership (2015-present)
Committee Chair
Lehigh University Entrepreneurship Curriculum Committee (Interim: Spring 2015)
Faculty Search Committee – Assistant/Associate Professor of Strategic Management (2013)
Board Member
Internal Advisory Board - Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation (2009-present)
Committee Membership
College of Business and Economics College Policy Committee (2015-2018)
College of Business and Economics Nominations Committee (2015-2016)
College of Business and Economics Task Force on Student Engagement (2015-2016)
Lehigh Entrepreneurship Curriculum Committee (2009-present)
Faculty Search Committee – Assistant Professor of Management (2010)
Faculty Search Committee – Professors of Practice in Entrepreneurship (2011, 2014)
Faculty Advisor
Integrated Product Development Program (2010)
MBA Case Competition Team (2010)
CONSULTING EXPERIENCE
Consulting Analyst, New Work Environments Program
Oct 2015 – Apr 2016
Genentech Inc.
San Francisco, CA
Responsible for survey analysis and recommendation formulation for the multi-billion dollar New Work
Environments Initiative at the South San Francisco Campus. Utilized a mixed-methods research approach
to recommend ways to drive increased innovation and productivity at Genentech.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Instructor and Executive Officer
Jul 2003 – Jul 2005
Department of Management, US Air Force Academy
Colorado Springs, CO
Taught undergraduate strategic management and accounting courses. Served as a strategic planning and
technology development consultant to various governmental organizations including the CIA.
Program Manager, NORAD Mobile Command Center
Aug 2002 – Jul 2003
Strategic and Nuclear Deterrence Command & Control Program Office
Peterson AFB, CO
Responsible for a 22 person team and an $11M annual budget. Led the development, testing, and
implementation of new technology for the US Northern Command’s mobile command centers program.
Chief of Financial Management , NORAD Modernization Program
Sep 2000 – Aug 2002
Strategic and Nuclear Deterrence Command & Control Program Office
Peterson AFB, CO
Managed an 11 person finance and accounting team responsible for annual budgets in excess of $100M.
Authored program plans for next generation weapons and communication systems.
Chief of Cost Analysis, Radar Technology Program
Oct 1997 – Aug 2000
Joint STARS Systems Program Office
Hanscom AFB, MA
Managed a 6 person team and a $200M technology development budget. Led the development of a $2B
cost estimate and financial plan for the Air Force’s most advanced family of radars.