Strategic resilience nexus: Connecting pioneering and sustainability orientations

Abstract This work analyzes, under a strategic approach, the role of organizational resilience (OR) in connecting pioneering orientation (PO) and sustainability orientation (SO), thus filling a significant and unexplored gap in the literature. The empirical study was conducted on a sample of 223 companies in the cultural tourism industry in Spain. The results show a total mediating effect of OR in the relationship between PO and SO in its economic, environmental, and social dimensions and a partial effect in the case of the cultural dimension. The study highlights the U‐shaped curvilinear relationship between PO and OR, reflecting a brake on the growth of OR when companies have a strong tendency to enter the market early. Companies should adopt the role of early followers to strengthen resilience and achieve a strong strategic commitment to sustainability.