Construction of Entrepreneurial Orientation: Dispute, Demand, and Dare

Invited editorial by Vishal K. Gupta, discussing the concept of entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Stated succinctly, entrepreneurial orientation (EO) refers to specific aspects of an organization-wide proclivity toward new endeavors. After about four decades of research on this topic, EO has emerged as a predominant construct of interest in strategic management. Over the years, a large—and growing—body of research has accumulated about EO, but questions do persist about the way(s) in which the various facets of EO are linked to each other. This essay distinguishes between three ways in which the various entrepreneurial elements can be combined to form the overall EO construct: additive, multiplicative, and geometric. The underlying motivation to draw this tripartite distinction is the belief that conceptual development about EO will be accelerated if researchers explore new formulations not considered before