IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/entthe/v32y2008i4p635-657.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Entrepreneurial Orientation, Learning Orientation, and Firm Performance

Author

Listed:
  • Catherine L. Wang

Abstract

Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is a key ingredient for firm success. Nonetheless, an important message from past findings is that simply examining the direct effect of EO on firm performance provides an incomplete picture. Prior studies examined various internal and external factors that influence the EO–performance relationship. However, learning orientation (LO) has been a missing link in the examination of the relationship. Using data from 213 medium–to–large UK firms, this study finds that LO mediates the EO–performance relationship, and the EO–LO–performance link is stronger for prospectors than analyzers. The findings indicate that LO must be in place to maximize the effect of EO on performance, and that LO is an important dimension, along with EO, to distinguish prospectors from analyzers.

Suggested Citation

  • Catherine L. Wang, 2008. "Entrepreneurial Orientation, Learning Orientation, and Firm Performance," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 32(4), pages 635-657, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:32:y:2008:i:4:p:635-657
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6520.2008.00246.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2008.00246.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2008.00246.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eric von Hippel, 1986. "Lead Users: A Source of Novel Product Concepts," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(7), pages 791-805, July.
    2. Danny Miller & Peter H. Friesen, 1983. "Strategy‐making and environment: The third link," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4(3), pages 221-235, July.
    3. Donald C. Hambrick, 1982. "Environmental scanning and organizational strategy," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 3(2), pages 159-174, April.
    4. Jeffrey G. Covin & Kimberly M. Green & Dennis P. Slevin, 2006. "Strategic Process Effects on the Entrepreneurial Orientation–Sales Growth Rate Relationship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 30(1), pages 57-81, January.
    5. Smilor, Raymond W., 1997. "Entrepreneurship: Reflections on a subversive activity," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 12(5), pages 341-346, September.
    6. John L Naman & Dennis P. Slevin, 1993. "Entrepreneurship and the concept of fit: A model and empirical tests," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(2), pages 137-153, February.
    7. Armstrong, J. Scott & Overton, Terry S., 1977. "Estimating Nonresponse Bias in Mail Surveys," MPRA Paper 81694, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Shaker A. Zahra & Donald F. Kuratko & Daniel F. Jennings, 1999. "Guest Editorial: Entrepreneurship and the Acquisition of Dynamic Organizational Capabilities," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 23(3), pages 5-10, April.
    9. Wiklund, Johan & Shepherd, Dean, 2005. "Entrepreneurial orientation and small business performance: a configurational approach," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 71-91, January.
    10. G. Premkumar & William R. King, 1994. "Organizational Characteristics and Information Systems Planning: An Empirical Study," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 5(2), pages 75-109, June.
    11. James G. March, 1991. "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 71-87, February.
    12. N. Venkatraman, 1989. "Strategic Orientation of Business Enterprises: The Construct, Dimensionality, and Measurement," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(8), pages 942-962, August.
    13. Sue Birley & Paul Westhead, 1990. "Growth and performance contrasts between ‘types’ of small firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(7), pages 535-557, November.
    14. Danny Miller, 1983. "The Correlates of Entrepreneurship in Three Types of Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(7), pages 770-791, July.
    15. George P. Huber, 1991. "Organizational Learning: The Contributing Processes and the Literatures," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 88-115, February.
    16. Johan Wiklund & DEAN Shepherd, 2003. "Knowledge‐based resources, entrepreneurial orientation, and the performance of small and medium‐sized businesses," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(13), pages 1307-1314, December.
    17. Terrence E Brown & Per Davidsson & Johan Wiklund, 2001. "An operationalization of Stevenson's conceptualization of entrepreneurship as opportunity‐based firm behavior," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(10), pages 953-968, October.
    18. Zahra, Shaker A., 1991. "Predictors and financial outcomes of corporate entrepreneurship: An exploratory study," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 6(4), pages 259-285, July.
    19. Richard T. Harrison & Claire M. Leitch, 2005. "Entrepreneurial Learning: Researching the Interface between Learning and the Entrepreneurial Context," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 29(4), pages 351-371, July.
    20. Jeffrey G. Covin & Dennis P. Slevin, 1989. "Strategic management of small firms in hostile and benign environments," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1), pages 75-87, January.
    21. Zahra, Shaker A. & Covin, Jeffrey G., 1995. "Contextual influences on the corporate entrepreneurship-performance relationship: A longitudinal analysis," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 43-58, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tobias Kollmann & Christoph Stöckmann, 2014. "Filling the Entrepreneurial Orientation–Performance Gap: The Mediating Effects of Exploratory and Exploitative Innovations," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(5), pages 1001-1026, September.
    2. Andreas Rauch & Johan Wiklund & G.T. Lumpkin & Michael Frese, 2009. "Entrepreneurial Orientation and Business Performance: An Assessment of past Research and Suggestions for the Future," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 33(3), pages 761-787, May.
    3. Bradley A. George & Louis Marino, 2011. "The Epistemology of Entrepreneurial Orientation: Conceptual Formation, Modeling, and Operationalization," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(5), pages 989-1024, September.
    4. Patrick M. Kreiser, 2011. "Entrepreneurial Orientation and Organizational Learning: The Impact of Network Range and Network Closure," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(5), pages 1025-1050, September.
    5. Jeffrey G. Covin & Kimberly M. Green & Dennis P. Slevin, 2006. "Strategic Process Effects on the Entrepreneurial Orientation–Sales Growth Rate Relationship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 30(1), pages 57-81, January.
    6. Wales, William J. & Kraus, Sascha & Filser, Matthias & Stöckmann, Christoph & Covin, Jeffrey G., 2021. "The status quo of research on entrepreneurial orientation: Conversational landmarks and theoretical scaffolding," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 564-577.
    7. D’Angelo, Alfredo & Presutti, Manuela, 2019. "SMEs international growth: The moderating role of experience on entrepreneurial and learning orientations," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 613-624.
    8. Jörg Freiling & Christoph Lütke Schelhowe, 2014. "The Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the Performance and Speed of Internationalization," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 10(4), pages 169-199.
    9. Vincenza Odorici & Manuela Presutti & Marco Savioli, 2016. "Strategic orientation of hotels: evidence from a contingent approach," Working Paper series 16-06, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis, revised May 2016.
    10. Johan Wiklund & Holger Patzelt & Dean Shepherd, 2009. "Building an integrative model of small business growth," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 351-374, April.
    11. Samuel Adomako, 2018. "The Moderating Effects Of Adaptive And Intellectual Resource Capabilities On The Relationship Between Entrepreneurial Orientation And Financial Performance," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(03), pages 1-35, April.
    12. Knight, Gary & Moen, Øystein & Madsen, Tage Koed, 2020. "Antecedents to differentiation strategy in the exporting SME," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(6).
    13. Nida Nazar & Sara Ravan Ramzani & Temoor Anjum & Imran Ahmed Shahzad, 2018. "Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation of Bank Performance in Pakistan," Business Management and Strategy, Macrothink Institute, vol. 9(1), pages 290-309, December.
    14. García-Villaverde, Pedro M. & Ruiz-Ortega, María J. & Ignacio Canales, J., 2013. "Entrepreneurial orientation and the threat of imitation: The influence of upstream and downstream capabilities," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 263-277.
    15. John A. Pearce II & David A. Fritz & Peter S. Davis, 2010. "Entrepreneurial Orientation and the Performance of Religious Congregations as Predicted by Rational Choice Theory," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(1), pages 219-248, January.
    16. Jelica Rastoka & Saša Petković & Dragana Radicic, 2022. "Impact of Entrepreneurship on the Quality of Public Health Sector Institutions and Policies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-25, January.
    17. Wiklund, Johan & Shepherd, Dean, 2005. "Entrepreneurial orientation and small business performance: a configurational approach," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 71-91, January.
    18. Milovanović Bojan Morić & Bubaš Zoran & Mikić Mihaela, 2021. "Entrepreneurial Orientation, Strategic Networking, and Croatian SMEs Performance: A Configurational Approach," Business Systems Research, Sciendo, vol. 12(2), pages 236-252, December.
    19. Vishal K. Gupta & Suman Niranjan & Erik Markin, 2020. "Entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance: the mediating role of generative and acquisitive learning through customer relationships," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 14(5), pages 1123-1147, October.
    20. Manuela Presutti & Marco Savioli & Vincenza Odorici, 2020. "Strategic orientation of hotels: Evidence from a contingent approach," Tourism Economics, , vol. 26(7), pages 1212-1230, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:32:y:2008:i:4:p:635-657. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.