Pivoting in Business and Entrepreneurship: A Conceptual Review and Research Agenda
Type
working paper
Date Issued
2026-05-25
Author(s)
Mader, Anna
Abstract
Despite its ubiquity in management discourse, "pivoting" remains theoretically ambiguous and is frequently conflated with general strategic change. This conceptual fragmentation limits cumulative knowledge development and our ability to explain pivot antecedents and consequences. Through a systematic literature review of 66 peer-reviewed articles from 124 leading journals (ABS ranking 3+), we consolidate the fragmented landscape into five interrelated conceptualizations of pivoting: as a strategic decision, evolutionary landmark, unfolding process, narrative device, and experiment-based learning. We identify distinct pivot types— including opportunity versus survival pivots— and synthesize these perspectives into a unified definition: a fundamental reorientation of a venture's core strategy, value proposition, or organizational identity in response to belief disconfirmation, undertaken through iterative testing and learning while maintaining organizational identity continuity despite strategic discontinuity. This definition clearly distinguishes pivoting from general strategic change, resolving existing inconsistencies. We outline a research agenda prioritizing: (1) contextual generalizability beyond technology and startup domains, (2) theoretical mechanisms explaining when different pivot types succeed, (3) stakeholder and identity dynamics governing legitimacy and resource commitment, and (4) temporal and sequencing effects in multi-pivot trajectories and organizational transformation limits.
Language
English
HSG Classification
not classified
Refereed
No
Subject(s)
Division(s)
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open.access
Name
Pivoting in Business and Entrepreneurship_ Alexandria.pdf
Size
385.38 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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