In this paper, we address a thorny challenge: how can entrepreneurship scholarship enhance its impact without compromising the pursuit of conceptual rigor and theoretical novelty? We propose a prospective inquiry framework for entrepreneurship. It aims to align the scholarly pursuit of theoretical novelty with the entrepreneurs' focus on the future, in a shared aspiration to make a difference in the world. By expanding the focus of theoretical work toward the future, scholarship can focus on the formulation, exploration, and evaluation of alternatives to the present, as theories for desired futures. Prospective inquiry retains the primacy of theorizing while expanding its purpose, value, and use in entrepreneurship research, unleashing its generative power. It opens new spaces for theoretical excellence, dissolves the research-practice gap, and allows researchers and practitioners to theorize and enact their aspirations for the future.

在本文中，我们解决了一个棘手的挑战：创业奖学金如何在不损害对概念严谨性和理论新颖性的追求的情况下增强其影响力？我们提出一个前瞻性的创业调查框架。它旨在将对理论新颖性的学术追求与企业家对未来的关注结合起来，以实现改变世界的共同愿望。通过将理论工作的重点扩展到未来，学术可以专注于制定、探索和评估当前的替代方案，作为理想未来的理论。前瞻性调查保留了理论化的首要地位，同时扩大了它在创业研究中的目的、价值和用途，释放了它的生成能力。它为卓越的理论开辟了新的空间，消除了研究与实践之间的差距，并允许研究人员和从业者将他们对未来的抱负理论化并付诸实践。