Entrepreneurs’ improvisational behavior and new venture performance: firm-level and institutional contingencies

Abstract

Despite the growing research on the influence of entrepreneurs’ improvisational behavior on organizational outcomes, there is limited understanding of the specific firm-level and institutional conditions under which entrepreneurs’ improvisational behavior can effectively drive the success of new ventures. This paper contributes to filling this gap by investigating the moderating effects of financial resource capability and institutional support on the relationship between entrepreneurs’ improvisational behavior and new venture performance. The study’s theoretical model is validated by employing confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression on primary data obtained from 395 new ventures in Ghana. The results reveal a significant positive moderating effect of financial resource capability on the relationship between entrepreneurs’ improvisational and new venture performance. In addition, the findings show that the effectiveness of improvisation behavior in driving a firm’s success depends on the level of institutional support. Overall, the findings provide a more nuanced explanation of the link between entrepreneurs’ improvisational and firm performance. Implications for research and practice are discussed.