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Entrepreneurial Orientation in Multinational Corporations: Antecedents and Effects

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Abstract

Despite its importance to business performance, the role of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) in multinational corporations (MNCs) is under-researched. This study investigates the drivers of EO and its performance outcome in the context of large MNCs. The authors theorize that an MNC’s organizational characteristics drive the formation of its EO and an MNC’s EO affects its performance in the global market under certain contingency conditions. Based on a survey of large MNCs, the authors find that an MNC’s EO is positively affected by its technological flexibility and subsidiary cooperation, and negatively influenced by centralization of its organizational structure. In addition, EO’s positive effect on an MNC’s performance is weakened by its international experience. This study advances the literature by developing and empirically supporting a theory of EO in large MNCs. The results also have significant implications for MNCs that consider adopting EO to improve their performance in the global market.

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Acknowledgements

This research is supported by a Grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (#71472097).

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  1. Trulaske College of Business, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Li Chen, Shaoming Zou & Yiwen Chen

  2. School of Business, Nankai University, Tianjin, China

    Hui Xu

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Chen, L., Zou, S., Xu, H. et al. Entrepreneurial Orientation in Multinational Corporations: Antecedents and Effects. Manag Int Rev 60, 123–148 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-019-00397-4

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