Abstract:
This study aims to thoroughly investigate how the different dimensions
of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) influence firm performance in the
Iranian knowledge-based industry. An empirical analysis of data from
155 Iranian knowledge-based firms was performed by employing the
PLS method of structural equation modelling. Findings show that
there is semantic redundancy among the different dimensions of EO.
Specifically, just two of the five dimensions, proactiveness and risktaking,
could account for all the effects of EO on firm performance
in the context of the Iranian knowledge-based industry. In addition,
moderation, spuriousness, suppression of industrial contingencies and
control variables were not at play. From a theoretical point of view, our work confirms that scholars should avoid considering EO as a holistic
gestalt in different contexts. It also highlights that proactiveness and risktaking
are the orientations with the strongest effects on performance
in Iranian knowledge-based firms. From an empirical point of view, our
study sheds light on the importance of these two specific EO dimensions
in the selection of human resources and in the development of policies
aimed at fostering sustainability of knowledge-based firms. In addition, it
represents a contribution to understanding how EO dimensions work
in emerging countries, characterised by social and economic systems
different from those of the Western world.
