Strategic Approaches of Female Entrepreneurs in Croatian High-Tech Sectors

This empirical study evaluates how the use of gender-specific approaches in effectuation and causation management frameworks affects the performance of Croatian high-tech and knowledge-intensive small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To gain a more comprehensive understanding of different strategic options, we examined all four dimensions of effectuation separately. The findings reveal that female entrepreneurs achieve positive business results when they implement the causation strategy and the effectuation principles of flexibility and pre-commitment. In contrast, negative outcomes arise when they rely on the experimentation principle. The study recommends enhancing entrepreneurial training to include strategic practices of successful female entrepreneurs.