Entrepreneurship Theories Game of Thrones

The Maester’s Great Scroll

Economic Doctrines & Founding Philosophies of the Known World

"Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but they refuse. They cling to the realm, or the gods, or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is."

— Lord Petyr Baelish, Master of Coin

House Stark

Winter is Coming (Resilience & Ethics)

"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives."
— Eddard Stark

• Resilience Theory: Preparing for the Long Night
• Stewardship Theory: The Warden of the Market
• Family Entrepreneurship: Succession & Legacy
• Social Entrepreneurship: Duty to the Realm
• Self-Efficacy: The Ethics of Execution

House Lannister

Hear Me Roar (Capital & Power)

"A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinion of sheep. I need you to become the man you were always meant to be."
— Tywin Lannister

• Power & Dominance: Market Monopolies
• Pecking Order: A Founder Always Pays His Debts
• Machiavellian Theory: Strategic Ruthlessness
• Narcissism in Founders: The Tywin Complex
• Resource Dependency: Controlling the Gold Mines

House Targaryen

Fire and Blood (Disruption & Change)

"I'm not going to stop the wheel. I'm going to break the wheel."
— Daenerys Targaryen

• Creative Destruction: The Dragon's Flame
• Disruptive Innovation: Changing the Game
• Entrepreneurship as Emancipation: Freeing the Slaves
• Competence Destruction: Rendering Walls Obsolete
• Knight’s Uncertainty: Riding the Unknown

The Master of Coin

Chaos is a Ladder (Information & Networks)

"Knowledge is power. Fight every battle everywhere, always, in your mind. Everyone is your enemy, everyone is your friend."
— Petyr Baelish

• Information Asymmetry: The Spy Network
• Social Network Theory: The Web of King's Landing
• Weak Ties: Leveraging the Brothel Connections
• Bricolage: Rising from Low Birth to the Small Council
• Signaling Theory: Projecting Status and Intent

House Tyrell

Growing Strong (Strategic Growth)

"The world is a dangerous place. But I've been at this a long time. I'll survive."
— Olenna Tyrell, Queen of Thorns

• Organic Growth Theory: The Highgarden Model
• Strategic Alliances: Growth Through Marriage
• Social Capital: Winning the Hearts of the Commons
• Soft Power: Influence Over Direct Force
• The Coordinator Theory: Feeding the Capital

VALAR MORGHULIS. VALAR DOHAERIS.

Encoded in the Year 300 AC by Grand Maester Pycelle | Consult the Citadel Archives

History is written in ink; the future is written in blood.