Michael
Ensley
Co-founder
Team
Michael Ensley is Associate Professor of Management and
Organization at the Lally School of Management and
Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Albany,
New York, and founder of the Risk Assessment Institute.
Professor Ensley teaches courses in entrepreneurship, new
venture finance, research methods, and technology transfer.
He holds a Ph.D. from Mississippi State University and an
M.B.A., B.S. and B.A. from Western Carolina University.
Dr. Ensley has focused most of his research on the
importance of top management teams in new ventures. He has
specifically looked into the dynamics of the interactions
between new venture team members and the importance that
such interaction has on new venture performance. He has
also conducted research on the impact of stress in new
venture team interactions, role ambiguity, and the
importance of team development at different phases of new
venture development.
Professor Ensley’s secondary stream of research focuses on
the impact of regional industry factors on the creation of
industry clusters. His work has been funded by the Kauffman
Foundation, the Coleman Foundation, the National Institutes
of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development, National
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. His research
has been published in the Journal of Applied Psychology,
Journal of Organizational Behavior, and the Journal of
Small Business Management among other outlets. His research
has been presented in 14 countries and has been presented
over 50 times at international and national
conferences.
Dr. Ensley has written a text book and a scholarly book on
the impact on new venture teams on firm performance. His
current research interests focus on the assessment of new
venture teams by Angels and Venture Capitalists, the
creation of clear typology of regional economies for
economic development, and the validation of several scales
important to future research. He now makes his home in
North Carolina.
Michael's current activities are detailed in our
NEWS section.