Entrepreneurial Orientation and Company Performance: Can the Academic Literature Guide Managers?

Abstract

This article comments on the management implications of the various approaches to measuring entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and it discusses the implications of a range of empirical findings for management decisions. On the whole, the argument is that academ- ic research needs to increase its understanding of the differences in empirical results between different studies. To date, the research mostly spells a small number of useful warnings, for example that the positive impact of EO may level off or turn negative beyond a certain point and that it may not have the anticipated positive effect in all circumstances. However, the academic research has yet to identify these circumstances to a level of spe- cificity that could provide useful guidance to managers.