Entrepreneurial Orientation , Innovation and Firm Performance : the Importance of Organizational

Abstract

Entrepreneurial orientation, which explains how entrepreneurship is put into practice, is considered to have a positive impact on firm performance. However, this direct relationship does not seem to be empirically conclusive. Therefore, dependent variables that are more directly sensitive to entrepreneurial orientation, and contingent variables should therefore be considered. In this paper we suggest, firstly, that innovation performance acts as a mediating variable between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance; secondly, that entrepreneurial orientation is positively related to organizational learning capability; and thirdly, organizational learning capability plays a significant role in determining the effects of entrepreneurial orientation on innovation performance.