Entrepreneurial Orientation in Cross–Cultural Research: Assessing Measurement Invariance in the Construct

Abstract

The entrepreneurial orientation (EO) scale has become the most widely used scholarly measure of entrepreneurial behavior. Additionally, it is frequently used in studying entrepreneurship in non–Western cultures. In the current study, the authors respond to calls for cross–cultural validation of measures used in international research by assessing the measurement invariance of the most frequently utilized EO scale. Using samples of small and medium–sized firms from the United States and China, the authors assess the dimensionality of EO, optimal number of scale items, and the measurement invariance of the construct across cultures. The results support conceptualizing EO as multidimensional, using an 8–item version, and utilizing it in cross–cultural research settings in certain instances.