The influence of entrepreneurial orientation on the performance of academic research groups: the mediating role of knowledge sharing

The objective of this research is to explore how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) contributes to explaining the performance of academic research groups through knowledge sharing. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 87 research groups (284 researchers) at a Spanish University. The relationships established were tested using 3SLS simultaneous equation models. We provide evidence in the present paper that the entrepreneurial orientation of research groups has a negative direct influence on performance, measured by the number of ISI articles published, if no knowledge sharing takes place between the group members. These results stress the importance of knowledge sharing in research groups in order to ensure that entrepreneurial group strategies (risky, proactive and innovative) are positive within an academic context.