How to sustain company growth in times of crisis: The mitigating role of entrepreneurial management

This study aims to identify the combinations of the dimensions of entrepreneurial management that can facilitate the growth of a company under different conditions (including crises). The study focuses on the small and medium-sized enterprise sector and printing industry, and it is based on a sample of 150 enterprises that operate in Poland. An examination via fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis indicates that combinations of opportunity-seeking and diversification, as well as those of innovativeness and diversification, can foster growth during the first phase of a crisis. In the second phase of a crisis, three combinations can engender growth: innovativeness with diversification, proactiveness with diversification, and opportunity-seeking with proactiveness and innovativeness. This study contributes to the theory in the areas of entrepreneurship, firm growth, and crisis management. It also provides meaningful recommendations for managers and entrepreneurs regarding the mitigation of the impact of a crisis, while sustaining growth.

Automated summary

This study identifies the combinations of entrepreneurial management dimensions that can facilitate company growth under different conditions, including crises. The study focuses on the small and medium-sized enterprise sector and printing industry in Poland. The findings suggest that combinations of opportunity-seeking and diversification, as well as innovativeness and diversification, can foster growth during the first phase of a crisis. In the second phase of a crisis, combinations of innovativeness with diversification, proactiveness with diversification, and opportunity-seeking with proactiveness and innovativeness can engender growth. This study contributes to the theory of entrepreneurship, firm growth, and crisis management, and provides meaningful recommendations for managers and entrepreneurs.