(posted on behalf of @Paul Sanchez-Ruiz, Practitioner-Scholars Committee Chair)
As researchers, we often engage practitioners to validate our ideas or provide access to richer data. However, some of the most valuable conversations occur when practitioners disagree with us.
When an entrepreneur tells us, "That's not how it works," our instinct may be to defend our theoretical reasoning. We could perhaps, instead, see these moments as opportunities. Disagreement often reveals assumptions we did not realize we were making, uncovers mechanisms our theories overlook, and sharpens the questions we ask.
This does not mean abandoning theory whenever practitioners challenge it. Rather, it means treating practitioner perspectives as an important source of insight that helps refine our conceptual frameworks and improve the real-life implications of our work. The goal is not simply to confirm what we already believe but to learn where our understanding is incomplete. In doing so, we strengthen both the rigor and the relevance of entrepreneurship research.
If you're interested in continuing this conversation, I invite you to join the Practitioner-Scholars Committee's Professional Development Workshop:
Co-Creating Entrepreneurial Knowledge: How Practitioner Insight Advances Theory (and Vice Versa)
Friday, July 31, 2026
3:00–5:00 PM ET
Marriott, Room 402
We look forward to discussing how scholars and practitioners can engage in ways that challenge assumptions, improve theory, and create research with lasting impact.