Entrepreneurial Market Orientation: Assessing the Roles of Self-Efficacy, Effectuation and Causation Logics

Abstract

Knowledge about entrepreneurs' market orientation is crucial as it induces behaviour for the creation of superior value for buyers. In this paper, we examine if self-efficacy, a belief that a person can achieve challenges, is a driver of entrepreneurs' market orientation. We also examine if effectuation and causation logics mediate the association. An effectuation logic implies that an entrepreneur focuses on means at hand, which she or he aims to materialise into one or more goals that were not necessarily predefined. A causation logic implies that an entrepreneur focuses on a predefined goal and then aims to find the means to reach it. Using survey data from Norwegian entrepreneurs, we show that both an effectuation and a causation logic partly mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and entrepreneurial market orientation. Our analysis furthermore reveals that entrepreneurial experience and motivation (necessity vs opportunity entrepreneurship) have indirect effects on market orientation through self-efficacy.