The effect of entrepreneurial and learning orientations on the international performance growth of high-tech SMEs: The moderating role of experience

High-tech SMEs (HTSMEs) operating in an increasing competitive environment subject to constant changes need strong entrepreneurial and learning orientations to expand into foreign markets to enhance international performance growth. Yet, the relationship between these two key dimensions of strategic orientation (SO), namely entrepreneurial (EO) and learning orientation (LO), and foreign performance growth can be contingent to various specific individual characteristics of the founder entrepreneur. We developed and tested a theoretical model by considering two different level of analysis, the firms and the entrepreneurs. Based on a sample of 170 HTSMEs located in the Rome province in Italy, we adopted a longitudinal approach using fixed effects pooled time-series regression analysis for two periods of observation (2005 and 2015). Our findings indicate that HTSMEs that possess greater EO and LO have higher international performance growth. However, previous entrepreneurial and industry-specific managerial experience of the founder entrepreneur seem to positively exert their effect on the relationships between EO, LO and foreign performance growth. These results have important implications for entrepreneurs and policy makers interested in improving foreign performance growth of SMEs operating in highly innovative sectors.