Clarifying the Entrepreneurial Orientation Construct and Linking It to Performance
澄清了创业导向（EO）构念的性质，提出权变模型研究EO与企业绩效的关系，并识别关键权变因素，对管理者和研究者理解EO如何影响绩效有参考价值。
Clarifies the nature of the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) construct and proposes contingency models for investigating the relationship between EO and firm performance. EO is contrasted to entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is new entry. Entrepreneurial orientation is the processes, practices, intentions, and decision-making activities leading to new entry. It has five key dimensions: autonomy, innovativeness, risk taking, proactiveness, and competitive aggressiveness. Although all five dimensions are central to understanding the entrepreneurial process, they occur in different combinations, and the factors vary independently in a given context. Contingency theory suggests that congruence among variables (such as environmental and organizational factors) is crucial for optimal performance; hence the relationship between EO and firm performance is context specific. Key contingencies associated with the relationship between EO and performance are identified. Then four alternative contingency models (moderating, mediating, independent and interaction effects) are proposed for the purpose of testing the relationship of EO and performance. The analysis further delineates various organizational characteristics related to each of the four models that may impact firm performance, including the structure chosen, integrating activities, top management team characteristics and the industry. These characteristics may all affect the five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and impact performance. (TNM)