Sarasvathian Effectuation and Weickian Enactment in the Entrepreneurial Opportunity Process

In the face of uncertainty entrepreneurs effectuate opportunities (Sarasvathy, 2001, 2008). The entrepreneurship literature also suggests that entrepreneurial opportunities are ‘enacted’ (Carter et al., 1996; Gartner et al., 2003), drawing ostensibly from the sensemaking literature of Weick (1979; 1995; 2005 with Sutcliffe & Obstfeld). Are the two concepts related? This theoretical paper explores the similarities, complementarities and differences between Sarasvathian effectuation and Weickian enactment with respect to entrepreneurial opportunity formation, bringing clarity and aiming at concept parsimony in entrepreneurship research.