IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/stratm/v14y1993i2p137-153.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Entrepreneurship and the concept of fit: A model and empirical tests

Author

Listed:
  • John L Naman
  • Dennis P. Slevin

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a study designed to investigate entrepreneurship and ‘fit’ in small and medium sized high technology manufacturing firms. A normative model of fit has been developed, which including the variables of entrepreneurial style, organizational structure, and mission strategy, determines a measure of the firm's fit with its environment. The normative model of fit proposed here is based on variables and relationships found to be important in previous empirical studies. Data on environmental turbulence, entrepreneurial style, organization structure, mission strategy, and financial performance were collected from 82 manufacturing firms. A measure of fit was calculated for each firm. Findings indicate that performance among firms was positively related to the measurement of fit. In short, fit is an important construct for firm success. Implications include prescriptive guidance to assist practitioners in diagnosing and correcting ‘misfit’ for individual firms.

Suggested Citation

  • John L Naman & Dennis P. Slevin, 1993. "Entrepreneurship and the concept of fit: A model and empirical tests," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(2), pages 137-153, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:stratm:v:14:y:1993:i:2:p:137-153
    DOI: 10.1002/smj.4250140205
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250140205
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/smj.4250140205?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David J. Hall & Maurice A. Saias, 1980. "Strategy follows structure!," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 1(2), pages 149-163, April.
    2. Gerald F. Smith, 1989. "Defining Managerial Problems: A Framework for Prescriptive Theorizing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(8), pages 963-981, August.
    3. Sandberg, William R. & Hofer, Charles W., 1987. "Improving new venture performance: The role of strategy, industry structure, and the entrepreneur," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 2(1), pages 5-28.
    4. Danny Miller, 1991. "Stale in the Saddle: CEO Tenure and the Match Between Organization and Environment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 37(1), pages 34-52, January.
    5. Gary S. Hansen & Birger Wernerfelt, 1989. "Determinants of firm performance: The relative importance of economic and organizational factors," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(5), pages 399-411, September.
    6. Harry J. Sapienza & Ken G. Smith & Martin J. Gannon, 1988. "Using Subjective Evaluations of Organizational Performance in Small Business Research," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 12(3), pages 45-54, January.
    7. Danny Miller & Peter H. Friesen, 1982. "Innovation in conservative and entrepreneurial firms: Two models of strategic momentum," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 3(1), pages 1-25, January.
    8. N. Venkatraman, 1989. "Strategic Orientation of Business Enterprises: The Construct, Dimensionality, and Measurement," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(8), pages 942-962, August.
    9. Danny Miller, 1983. "The Correlates of Entrepreneurship in Three Types of Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(7), pages 770-791, July.
    10. Jeffrey G. Covin & Dennis P. Slevin, 1988. "The Influence Of Organization Structure On The Utility Of An Entrepreneurial Top Management Style," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3), pages 217-234, May.
    11. Davidsson, Per, 1991. "Continued entrepreneurship: Ability, need, and opportunity as determinants of small firm growth," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 6(6), pages 405-429, November.
    12. Robert H. Keeley & Juan B. Roure, 1990. "Management, Strategy, and Industry Structure As Influences on the Success of New Firms: A Structural Model," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(10), pages 1256-1267, October.
    13. Deepak K. Datta, 1991. "Organizational fit and acquisition performance: Effects of post‐acquisition integration," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(4), pages 281-297, May.
    14. Harbir Singh & Cynthia A. Montgomery, 1987. "Corporate acquisition strategies and economic performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(4), pages 377-386, July.
    15. Vithala R. Rao & Vijay Mahajan & Nikhil P. Varaiya, 1991. "A Balance Model for Evaluating Firms for Acquisition," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 37(3), pages 331-349, March.
    16. Noel Capon & John U. Farley & Scott Hoenig, 1990. "Determinants of Financial Performance: A Meta-Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(10), pages 1143-1159, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Harry J. Sapienza & Curtis M. Grimm, 1997. "Founder Characteristics, Start-Up Process, and Strategy/Structure Variables as Predictors of Shortline Railroad Performance," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 22(1), pages 5-24, October.
    2. James J. Chrisman & Alan Bauerschmidt & Charles W. Hofer, 1998. "The Determinants of New Venture Performance: An Extended Model," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 23(1), pages 5-29, October.
    3. Lumpkin, G. T. & Dess, Gregory G., 2001. "Linking two dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation to firm performance: The moderating role of environment and industry life cycle," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 429-451, September.
    4. Jeffrey G. Covin & Dennis P. Slevin, 1991. "A Conceptual Model of Entrepreneurship as Firm Behavior," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 16(1), pages 7-26, October.
    5. Anis Khedhaouria & Călin Gurău & Olivier Torrès, 2015. "Creativity, self-efficacy, and small-firm performance: the mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 485-504, March.
    6. Zhi Tang & Jintong Tang, 2012. "Entrepreneurial orientation and SME performance in China’s changing environment: The moderating effects of strategies," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 409-431, June.
    7. Walter, Achim & Auer, Michael & Ritter, Thomas, 2006. "The impact of network capabilities and entrepreneurial orientation on university spin-off performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 541-567, July.
    8. Teresa Felgueira & Ricardo Gouveia Rodrigues, 2020. "I-ENTRE-U: an individual entrepreneurial orientation scale for teachers and researchers in higher education institutions," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 17(1), pages 1-21, March.
    9. Carla D. Jones & Phillip M. Jolly & Connor J. Lubojacky & Geoffrey P. Martin & Luis R. Gomez-Mejia, 2019. "Behavioral agency and corporate entrepreneurship: CEO equity incentives & competitive behavior," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 1017-1039, September.
    10. William Wales & Erik Monsen & Alexander McKelvie, 2011. "The Organizational Pervasiveness of Entrepreneurial Orientation," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(5), pages 895-923, September.
    11. Samuel Adomako, 2018. "The Moderating Effects Of Adaptive And Intellectual Resource Capabilities On The Relationship Between Entrepreneurial Orientation And Financial Performance," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(03), pages 1-35, April.
    12. Chahal, Hardeep & Gupta, Mahesh & Lonial, Subhash & Raina, Swati, 2019. "Operational flexibility-entrepreneurial orientation relationship: Effects and consequences," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 154-167.
    13. Mohammad Reza Jalilvand & Leila Nasrolahi Vosta & Rashid Khalilakbar & Javad Khazaei Pool & Reihaneh Alsadat Tabaeeian, 2019. "The Effects of Internal Marketing and Entrepreneurial Orientation on Innovation in Family Businesses," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 10(3), pages 1064-1079, September.
    14. Desislava Ivanova Yordanova, 2011. "Growth Plans of Bulgarian Enterprises: An Empirical Investigation of Individual, Organizational and Environmental Influences," International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, vol. 1(1), pages 1-30.
    15. Dhruv Grewal & Gopalkrishnan R. Iyer & Rajshekhar (Raj) G. Javalgi & Lori Radulovich, 2011. "Franchise Partnership and International Expansion: A Conceptual Framework and Research Propositions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(3), pages 533-557, May.
    16. Bastian Grühn & Steffen Strese & Tessa C. Flatten & Nikolai A. Jaeger & Malte Brettel, 2017. "Temporal Change Patterns of Entrepreneurial Orientation: A Longitudinal Investigation of CEO Successions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(4), pages 591-619, July.
    17. Moruff Sanjo Oladimeji & Adebiyi Julius Abosede & Benneth Uchenna Eze, 2019. "Corporate Entrepreneurship And Service Firms’ Performance In Nigeria," Economic Review: Journal of Economics and Business, University of Tuzla, Faculty of Economics, vol. 17(1), pages 3-15, May.
    18. Asif Ali & Ashok Aima & Jaya Bhasin & Robert D. Hisrich, 2021. "Measuring Entrepreneurial Orientation in Developing Economies: Scale Development and Validation," Jindal Journal of Business Research, , vol. 10(2), pages 147-162, December.
    19. Engelen, Andreas, 2010. "Entrepreneurial orientation as a function of national cultural variations in two countries," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 354-368, December.
    20. Covin, Jeffrey G. & Slevin, Dennis P. & Heeley, Michael B., 2000. "Pioneers and followers: Competitive tactics, environment, and firm growth," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 175-210, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:stratm:v:14:y:1993:i:2:p:137-153. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/0143-2095 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.