Willem Smit is an expert in strategic decision-making, particularly in the areas of digitalization, entrepreneurship and internationalization. He earned his doctorate (Management) from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Prior to joining Fulbright and the YSEALI Academy, he was at IMD in Lausanne (Switzerland); SMU and NUS in Singapore, MIT Sloan in Cambridge, MA (USA), and Asia School of Business in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), where he designed and delivered undergraduate, MBA and executive development programs in marketing strategy, international marketing, brand management, and data analytics.
Willem has published his studies in the Harvard Business Review, the Journal of Management Studies, the Journal of Business Venturing, and the Financial Times, among others. His work has also received media attention in publications such as the Times, Bloomberg, and Newsweek. In collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, his recent study on start-up digitalization informed last year’s G20/T20 policy briefs.
His research on digital entrepreneurship has been supported by research grants from the Asian Development Bank and the Republic of Korea Government. One of the outcomes is a Start-up Tech benchmark website that gives entrepreneurs the possibility to benchmark their digital technology adoption: www.digitalentrepreneurshipinasia.com
Willem’s courses on digital marketing, Digital in Action, have been taught in four different schools: Asia School of Business (Malaysia), University of Basel (Switzerland), ESMT (Berlin), and Fulbright University (Vietnam). The Learning-by-Doing pedagogy of the course has students join teams with participating companies. More than 120 companies have thus far participated with the Digital In Action program: www.digitalinaction.org
Research
Looking ahead to the next 2 to 3 years, my research agenda focuses on the next waves of growth for Southeast Asia's entrepreneurial ecosystem: digital, interconnectedness, and sustainability. The three areas of focus include:
• Strategizing and Digital Entrepreneurship: Building on my extensive work in the field of entrepreneurial cognition, I aim to delve deeper into the decision making of adopting and applying digital technologies, exploring emerging trends and uncovering strategies for sustainable growth. I am committed to enhancing the Start-up Tech benchmark website (www.digitalentrepreneurshipinasia.com), providing entrepreneurs with a robust tool to benchmark their digital technology adoption.
• Internationalization in the Digital Age: Southeast Asia has a set of fast-growing economies but the integration among the markets is lagging behind. Given the increasing interconnectedness of markets, my research will probe the challenges and opportunities of internationalization strategies by entrepreneurs and other born-globals.
• Sustainable growth: Southeast Asia’s growth is impressive but has not been equally strong everywhere. To mend the widening gap in socio-economic inequalities and to address the growing need for green growth, entrepreneurial talents need to play a role in advancing societies on their path towards national SGD 2030 goals.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=zOTWAtoAAAAJ
List of Publications
1. Smit, W. (2023), Top Manager Heuristics Under Knightian Uncertainty: Control Versus Prediction and the Moderating Impact of Framing. J. Manage. Stud., 60: 1302-1340. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12939
2. Smit, W., Park, D (2023). The Potential of Digital Entrepreneurship in the Pacific: A Comparative Analysis. ADB Asia Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Monitor 2023: How Small Firms can contrinute to resilient growth in the Pacific Post COVID-19 Pandamic, October 2023, Pp 162-175 https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/919641/asia-sme-monitor-2023.pdf
3. Autio E, Revindo M D, Jinjarak Y, Komlósi E, Park D, Petalcorin C, Rafitrandi D, Justinus TC, Smit W, Szerb L, Tian S, Tiszberger M (2022). T20 Indonesia 2022 Policy Brief: Global Value Chain Inclusivity And Digital Entrepreneurship. Task Force 1 on Open Trade - https://www.t20indonesia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TF1_Global-value-chain-inclusivity-and-digital-entrepreneurship-.pdf
4. Autio, E.; Fu, K.; Smit, W.; Muftiadi, A.; Chiyachantana, C.; Prasarnphanich, P. M.; et al. (2022). Adoption of digital technologies, business model innovation, and financial and sustainability performance in startup firms. Asian Development Outlook Yearbook. Report. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/21176200.v1
5. Smit, W., LJ Salazar, Z Tate, N Saji, J Sohn, ISP Polaki (2022) Digital Entrepreneurship in Asia for Economic Resilience and Post-Pandemic Recovery: Country Report–Malaysia Asian Development Outlook Yearbook. Report. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/21176200.v1York J, Forster WR, Smit W, Mauer R, Jones J (2018) Time to Emergence: The Dynamics of Effectuation in Nascent Ventures. Academy of Management Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2018.12632abstract
6. Smit, W. Sorell, M. (2010). Why China Still Can't Build Global Brands: Harvard Business Review. 88 (1-2).Read, S., Song, N., Smit, W. (2009). A meta-analytic review of effectuation and venture performance. Journal of Business Venturing. 24 (6): 573-587 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2008.02.005
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