This study utilized data from 1,067 firms In six countries to clarify the psychometric properties of the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) measure. The first research question addressed dimensionality and explored whether EO achieved the best model fit when structured as a one-, two-, or three-dimensional measure. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis in LISREL supported modeling entrepreneurial orientation with three sub-dimensions: innovation, proactiveness, and risk-taking. The second research question addressed the extent to which the three sub-dimensions of the entrepreneurial orientation measure co-varied with one another. Correlation analysis revealed that the three sub-dimensions of EO are able to vary independently of one another in many situations. This study also provided strong support for the cross-cultural validity of the Covin and Slevin EO scale.

This study utilizes data from 1,048 firms in six countries to assess the impact of national culture and certain institutions that are representative of national culture on two key dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation: risk taking and proactiveness. Eight hypotheses are developed specifying the expected relationships between four cultural dimensions and levels of risk taking and proactiveness within SMEs. Additionally, two hypotheses are developed to explore between-country differences in the relationship between risk taking and proactiveness and a range of institutional variables. Uncertainty avoidance and power distance are both found to have a significant negative influence on risk taking; uncertainty avoidance, individualism, and power distance are found to negatively influence proactive firm behaviors. A number of institutional factors are also found to be significantly linked to between-country differences in both risk taking and proactive behaviors. This research contributes to existing theories of national culture by suggesting that the various dimensions of cultural values and several of the institutions that are representative of national culture impact the willingness of entrepreneurial firms to display risk taking and proactive behaviors.

The critical role of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in firm performance has been widely studied in the U.S. context. However, the examination of this key construct in emerging regions such as China has been very limited. In this article, we hypothesize that the relationship between EO and firm performance is best represented as curvilinear, as opposed to linear, in China. We use a two-study approach to test the link between EO and performance, as expressed in both perceptual and objective performance. Findings of both studies demonstrate an inverted U-shape relationship. Implications for future research on EO are discussed.

In this manuscript, we examine the evolution of the Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) concept in an effort to identify areas of concern for the future development of knowledge around the construct and provide conceptual analyses to suggest how we might best move forward in the construct's development. We suggest that the continued accumulation of knowledge in the field is best facilitated by conceptualizing EO as a reflective model utilizing three dimensions that can be extended through the use of a classical classification scheme and that additional subcategories of EO should be developed within the EO conceptual family utilizing new measurement items.

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