Role of entrepreneurial orientation, information management, and knowledge management in improving firm performance

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is one of the most common strategies that are followed by companies. In parallel, each company needs to effectively manage information and knowledge to successfully implement its strategy. Thus, this study focuses on the points where knowledge, information, and entrepreneurial management meet, with special attention paid to the relationship between information management (IM) and knowledge management (KM) as well as their mediating roles in shaping firm performance. This study aims to identify the role of information management (IM) and knowledge management (KM) in shaping performance in entrepreneurial firms. Moreover, the study aims to examine the causal relationship between IM and KM. Our sample consisted of 150 small and medium-sized firms that manufacture furniture in Poland. This is a mix-method study; it uses structural equitation modeling (SEM), fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), and interview-based qualitative analysis to examine the associations among entrepreneurial orientation (EO), IM, KM, and firm performance. In particular, three types of outcomes are analyzed; namely, firm competitiveness (FC), firm growth (FG), and financial performance (FP). The results unveiled the impact of IM on KM; the findings also showed the positive role of EO in shaping IM and KM as well as firm performance. In general, IM and KM impact firm performance; however, their individual impacts depend on the performance type (when they interact, they constitute a sufficient condition for achieving a high level of performance regardless of the type). These findings contribute to the IM and KM literature as well as entrepreneurship and small business research.