Daniel Elfenbein

Vice Dean of Research

Daniel Elfenbein

Daniel Elfenbein

A member of the faculty since 2005, Elfenbein is a leading scholar of entrepreneurial decision-making, organizational design, relational contracting, and the social and cultural foundations of market exchange. His research has been published in top journals including Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Management Science, and the Review of Economic Studies and has earned multiple best paper awards across Academy of Management, INFORMS, and the Strategic Management Society. Elfenbein previously served as Area Chair for Strategy and Entrepreneurship and held leadership roles with Olin’s Executive MBA–Shanghai program and the MBA Consulting Platform. Before academia, he worked as a Staff Economist at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and as a consultant with Monitor Company. He holds a PhD and MA in Business Economics and a BA in Chemistry, all from Harvard University.

Area of Expertise

Business/Corporate Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Technology Management, Business/Corporate Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Technology Management

Education

  • Ph D 2004, Harvard University
  • MA 2001, Harvard University
  • BA 1994, Harvard University

Academic/Professional Activities

  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Academy of Management Review
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Berkeley Electronic Journals in Economic Analysis and Policy
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, California Management Review
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Economics of Innovation and New Technology
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of Political Economy
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Managerial Decision Economics
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, MIT Press
  • Member, Academy of Management and American Economic Association

Awards/Honors

  • INFORMS Technology Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship Best Paper Published 2010, 2015
  • Best Paper , Atlanta Competitive Advantage Conference, 2011
  • Strategic Management Society Best Paper Award Nominee, 2011
  • James and Marcile Reid Chair, Washington University, 2010
  • Haas School of Business "Club Six" Teaching Award, UC of Berkeley Haas School of Business , 2004
  • Harvard Business School Fellowship , Harvard Business School, 1998
  • Detur Prize, Harvard College, 1991
  • National Merit Scholarship, National Merit Scholarship Corporation, 1990

Teaching Interests

Competitive Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Corporate Strategy

Research Interests

Governance of complex transactions; markets for intellectual property; innovation and technological change; university-industry technology transfer; incentives in organizations

Personal Interests

Dan lives in St. Louis with his wife and sons, Theodore and Harry. He appreciates modern translations of the writing of Miguel de Cervantes, the music of Johnny Cash, and the food at the original Dreamland BBQ.

Selected Publications

  • "Programs of Experimentation and Pivoting for (Overconfident) Entrepreneurs", Academy of Management Review, Issue 1, 80-106, with John Chen, Hart Posen, Ming zhu Wang, 2024
  • "The Impact of Learning and Overconfidence on Entrepreneurial Entry and Exit", Organization Science, Issue 5, 989-1009, with John Chen, David Croson, Hart Posen, 2018
  • "What is a Relationship Worth? Repeated Exchange and the Development of Relational Capital", Organization Science, with Todd Zenger
  • "The Small Firm Effect and the Entrepreneurial Spawning of Scientists and Engineers", Management Science, Issue 4, 659-681, with Barton Hamilton, Todd Zenger, 2010
  • "Time to Exit: Rational, Behavioral and Organizational Delays", Strategic Management Journal, Issue 7, 957-1114, with Anne Marie Knott, 2015
  • "A Greater Price for a Greater Good? Evidence that Consumers Pay More for Charity-Linked Products", American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Issue 2, 28-60, with B McManus, 2010
  • "The Small Firm Effect and the Entrepreneurial Spawning of Scientists and Engineers", Management Science, Issue 4, 659-681, with Barton Hamilton, Todd Zenger, 2010
  • "Publications, Patents, and the Market for University Inventions", Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Issue 4, 688-715, 2007
  • "Ownership and Control Rights in Internet Portal Alliances, 1995-1999", RAND Journal of Economics, Issue 2, 356-69, with J Lerner, 2003
  • "What is a Relationship Worth? Repeated Exchange and the Development of Relational Capital ", Organization Science, Issue 1, 222-244, with Todd Zenger, 2014

Contact

Daniel Elfenbein