Network Usage, Entrepreneurial Orientation and Their Effectiveness on SMEs Growth

Research findings suggest that networks provide small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) opportunities to achieve sustainable competitive advantages and thus compete successfully in the marketplace. In this study, the research question explores the effectiveness of the network usage on the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) development and the moderate role of the EO in the network-SME growth relationship. The empirical part of the study comprises a survey of 121 manufacturing SMEs in Spain. Structural equation modelling confirmed the importance of both organisational networks and EO on SMEs growth and pointed out the positive effect of network usage on EO development.