Entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance in tourism and hospitality firms: A configurational approach across different market conditions

This study explores the effect of market turbulence on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and business performance in the tourism and hospitality (T&H) industry, considering pre- and post-crisis landscapes. Using a longitudinal approach, the study draws on a sample of 35 small independent hotels. Each of these hotels was surveyed twice during and after the COVID-19 crisis, and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to examine the changing dynamics of the relationship. The findings reveal that different combinations of EO dimensions increase firm competitiveness (FC) and growth (FG) under various market conditions. The in-depth analysis further shows that hotels reaching a high-performance level in both periods had changed their entrepreneurial behavior significantly. More specifically, combinations of EO dimensions that lead to a high level of FC differ from those that lead to a high level of FG. In contrast, combinations that lead to a low level of FC and FG are similar. • Entrepreneurial orientation positively influences performance. • Combinations of factors necessary to achieve performance differ depending on market conditions. • Hotels reaching high levels of performance under different market conditions change their entrepreneurial behavior. • Factor combinations leading to a high level of competitiveness differ from those leading to a high level of growth. • Combinations of factors leading to low levels of firm competitiveness and firm growth are similar.