Mediating role of inter-organizational collaboration in entrepreneurial context: multidimensional analysis

Abstract This study aims to test the mediating role of inter-organizational collaboration in the relationships among three dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (namely, risk-taking, innovativeness, and proactiveness) and firm performance. In particular, the roles of two dimensions of collaboration are tested (collaborative orientation and entrepreneurial collaboration) in the contexts of two dimensions of performance (that is, firm growth and firm competitiveness). Six theoretical models were tested with SEM. The sample consisted of 145 small printing companies, and the data was collected in 2023. This study found that inter-organizational collaboration plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance, with varying effects across the dimensions of examined variables. The originality of this study lies in its in-depth testing of the role of inter-organizational collaboration in this relationship. Another proposal of this study is to distinguish two dimensions of collaboration and introduce relevant constructs for measuring them.