Jessica Könnecke - 1st year PhD presentation

Supervisors: Helle Neergaard & Nicole Siebold
Discussants: Franziska Günzel-Jensen & Jakob Arnoldi

Abstract
When scholars began to draw attention to the fact that entrepreneurs were predominantly white, male, and cisgender, the field of entrepreneurship studies experienced an increasing emphasis on gender-based perspectives. Against this backdrop, so-called entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) became increasingly important in the entrepreneurship literature. Recent research has highlighted the need to investigate inclusivity in entrepreneurial ecosystems. My research project explores how collaborative stakeholder processes can contribute to more inclusive EEs. Drawing on feminist theory and ethics, stakeholders within an EE become responsible for creating a more just and inclusive world. By shifting the responsibility for change from individuals to the broader ecosystem participants and fostering a collaborative approach, my research project aims to challenge the systemic structures that maintain disparities in EEs.

In my first paper, I develop a research methodology that utilizes board game design as a creative approach to engage participants in imagining more inclusive EEs. The workshops involve a diverse range of stakeholders, including students, researchers, entrepreneurs, advisors, and investors. Viewed from a systems perspective, board games are well-suited to prompt participants to consider how different parts or stakeholders in entrepreneurial ecosystems connect, interact, and influence one another. In my methodology, participants are not expected to play a pre-made game. Instead, they are invited to design their own allyship board games.

Everyone is welcome!