THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF ADAPTIVE AND INTELLECTUAL RESOURCE CAPABILITIES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Extant entrepreneurial orientation (EO) literature suggests that EO positively affects firm performance, but several factors influence the potency of this relationship. However, the influence of adaptive and intellectual resource capabilities on the EO–performance linkage lacks theoretical clarity. Accordingly, deriving insights from the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities framework, this paper argues that variations in financial performance are a function of degree of EO and levels of adaptive and intellectual resource capabilities. Using primary data gathered from 245 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in Ghana, the study finds that when a firm’s adaptive and intellectual resource capabilities are well developed and deployed, the potency of EO as a driver of financial performance is enhanced.