Prior studies found that affective commitment of firm leaders may yield superior firm performance, but existing research has yet to better understand the paths through which this relationship materializes and contingencies shaping it. Since the environment in which new ventures operate is often characterized by rapid technological change and strong competition, their ability to pursue innovation ambidexterity is critical. Previous scarce findings highlight that leaders’ emotional attachment to their firms may be conducive to ambidexterity practices.
This study investigates the role of innovation ambidexterity as mediator of the link between a leader’s affective commitment and new venture performance. Through the lens of strategic leadership theory, contingency theory and a moderated mediation mechanism, we examine new venture performance variation from the interaction of innovation ambidexterity and a performance-based national culture.
Using a sample of 7,319 active new venture founders from 23 countries, we demonstrate that founder’s affective commitment enhances new venture performance through innovation ambidexterity strategy. Contrary to expectations, our moderation analysis reveals that performance-based national culture weakens the positive relationship between innovative ambidexterity and venture performance. Implications for theory and practice are provided.
Tatiana Anisimova, holds a Ph.D in Marketing from Monash University, Australia.
She is Associate Professor at the Department of Marketing and Tourism studies at the School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, Sweden.
Her research interests include youth entrepreneurship and new venture performance, self-regulation and self-directed behavior, consumer psychology, consumer transformational behavior, and sustainability research across different contexts and cultures.
Her research appeared in Journal of Business Research, International Small Business Journal, European Journal of Marketing, and International Journal of Consumer Studies, among others.
Tatiana has extensive consulting experience in social, governmental, marketing and communications research. Tatiana has been awarded a Visiting Scholar grant by Jan Wallanders och Tom Hedelius and Tore Browalds Swedish foundation to undertake her visiting research scholar stay at the University of Bologna during the fall 2023. Her research stay involves working on research that examines the joint role of psychological and contextual factors in the performance of new entrepreneurial ventures.
The paper is co-authored by Galina Shirokova, Jan Weiss, and Joshua White.
The seminar will be held in English.
Major information: Elisa Villani (e.villani@unibo.it).