dr. (Rene) RM Bakker

I am an Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University, and Field Editor for the Journal of Business Venturing. Previously, I was Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, and prior to that I worked as a Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research in Brisbane, Australia. I received my Ph.D. from Tilburg University.

My research takes place at the cross-section of the fields of entrepreneurship and strategy. I am broadly interested in the question how, in an age of increasing uncertainty and organizational fluidity, entrepreneurs can grow their businesses and gain prominence. I look at joint projects and strategic alliances with other firms as two avenues by which they may do so. I believe the concept of time is critical to this topic, and trying to understand its role is a common thread through all of my work. My research has been published in leading journals including the Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, Academy of Management Annals, Journal of Business Venturing, and Academy of Management Review.

I enjoy teaching at all levels, having previously taught courses in organization theory, project management, and strategy, amongst others. I am particularly passionate about the training of strategic thinking, which is an analytic capability that I fundamentally believe is useful to managers at all levels as well as entrepreneurs. Recently, I wrote Strategy in 3D: Essential tools to diagnose, decide, and deliver (published by Oxford University Press) together with Greg Fisher and John Wisneski, which captures our unique approach to strategy teaching.

I have obtained multiple competitive grants throughout the years, the most prominent of which allowed me to undertake a unique longitudinal study of the Australian mineral mining industry.

Besides my work as a field editor, I am a member of the editorial board of Organization Studies.