Entrepreneurial Orientation Theory and Research: Reflections on a Needed Construct

Abstract

This article introduces the Special Issue of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice on the topic of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO). In addition to overviewing the preparation and structure of the Special Issue, this article addresses various substantive matters pertinent to the continuing development of EO theory and research including (1) the issue of whether EO is more defensibly conceived of as a dispositional or behavioral construct; (2) the reasons why EO is regarded by some as an "annoying construct," and what might be done about it; (3) the reasons why the concept of EO fills an important gap in the literature on firm-level entrepreneurship; (4) a proposal that EO theory and research proceed along two concurrent paths corresponding the unidimensional and multidimensional conceptualizations of the construct; (5) a review of EO measurement issues focused on why, in particular, it isproblematic to conceive of and measure EO as a formative construct; and (6) a brief consideration of both marginal-value and high-potential topic areas for future EO theory and research.

The entrepreneurial orientation - Performance relationship: A South African small business perspective

“…Selfreported measures of performance were considered acceptable for this study as it is in line with other studies on EO (Hosseini and Eskandari, 2013;Covin and Lumpkin, 2011;Wiklund and Shepherd, 2005;…”

“…Several internal and external factors (both moderating and mediating variables) have been shown to influence the relationship between EO and performance (Covin and Lumpkin, 2011;Casillas, 2010:29). These moderating and mediating variables have not been considered in this study.…”

Entrepreneurial Orientation and Firm Performance in the Context of Upper Echelon Theory

“…Thereby, a scale that combines the three dimensions into a single construct might generate misleading interpretations and cause researchers to consider that such an interaction does not exist when in reality it does (Kreiser et al, 2002). The popularity of such a scale has discouraged researchers from developing new measures of EO (Covin & Lumpkin, 2011).…”

Strateji̇k (Gi̇ri̇şi̇mci̇) Bi̇r Duruş Olarak Gi̇ri̇şi̇msel Oryantasyon Kavrami

“…Stratejik yönetim literatüründe de, işletmelerin girişimsel oryantasyon kavramını inceleyen çeşitli çalışmalara rastlamak mümkündür (Miller, 1983;Covin & Slevin, 1988, 1989Zahra, 1993a;Lumpkin & Dess, 1996;Brown, 1996;Chadwick, 1998;Barringer & Bluedorn, 1999;Lyon, vd., 2000;Todorovic, 2004;Boehm, 2007;Davis, 2007;Josien, 2008;Anderson, vd., 2009;Anderson, 2010;Roberts, 2010;Callaghan & Venter, 2011;Covin & Lumpkin, 2011;Diefenbach, 2011;Smith, 2011;Slevin & Terjesen, 2011;Chen, vd., 2012;Runyan, vd., 2012;Anderson & Eshima, 2013;Kreiser, vd., 2013;Gupta, 2015;Anderson, vd., 2015).…”