Relational influence on entrepreneurial orientation: an exploratory study of small religious enterprises in Brazil

Resumo (EN)

Abstract
Purpose – Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is highly emerging in the management literature. However,
recent studies highlight the necessity to associate with reflections on this theme, usually approached from an
economic perspective, propositions also derived from relational approaches. This paper aims to investigate
associations between EO and social networks, specifically about the still little explored relational coupling/
decoupling theme.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides an empirical and qualitative study of religious
entrepreneurs. A total of 18 pastors responsible for creating and leading independent neo-Pentecostal churches
located in Belo Horizonte/Brazil, selected using the snowball technique, participated in this qualitative, case-study
research. Two analysis categories guided data collection: pastors’ EO (behaviors suggestive of their
innovativeness, proactivity, competitive aggressiveness, risk-taking and autonomy) and churches’ social
framework (the resources and attributes that pastors obtain fromtheir institutional structure).
Findings – The study concludes that pastors combine attributes representing their EO and their social
structure in developing their religious endeavors.
Research limitations/implications – Among the limitations are the restricted use of semi-structured
interviews as a data collection source and the absence of data proving the churches’ performance.
Originality/value – The paper contributes by showing that entrepreneurs can influence the structure of
their networks by using EO; proving that networks influence pastors’ EO; revealing recursivity between EO
and networks; emphasizing a relational dimension of the EO construct and presenting new theoretical
propositions that can be explored and tested in future investigations.
Keywords Entrepreneurial orientation, Social networks, Coupling, Decoupling,
Religious entrepreneurship
Paper type Research paper