Why Are There Discrepancies in the Results of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Its Impact on a Firm's Performance?

Abstract

Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and its relationship to a firm's performance is a topic of substantial interest among scholars in different contexts. To date, however, literature on the subject has reported conflicting results and inconclusive evidence in studies relating entrepreneurial orientation to a firm's performance. In this sense, the authors have reviewed the literature and found that diverse opinions regarding definitions, scales of measurement and modeling of the construct, and its dimensions have led to conflicts within empirical research. They have also reviewed studies that have highlighted curvilinear relationships between EO and performance. This summary of issues highlighted in previous reviews serves as a guideline when addressing research on EO, contributing to the general discussion in strategic entrepreneurship literature about this important subject.