This study empirically examines the relationships among Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), Entrepreneurial Competencies(EC), Organizational Agility (OA), and Dynamic Capabilities (DC), focusing on their effects on Entrepreneurial Performance (EP) and t...
This study empirically examines the relationships among Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), Entrepreneurial Competencies(EC), Organizational Agility (OA), and Dynamic Capabilities (DC), focusing on their effects on Entrepreneurial Performance (EP) and the moderating role of accelerator experience. A survey was conducted with 370 Korean startups, and hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and bootstrapping analysis with 5,000 resamples. All measurement constructs showed high reliability (Cronbach’s α ≥ 0.834) and valid convergent and discriminant properties through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).
The results reveal that Organizational Agility plays a key mediating role between EO, EC, and performance. The indirect effects of EO (β = 0.368, p < .001) and EC (β = 0.116, p < .01) on EP through OA were both significant, indicating that startups achieve superior performance through agile structures enabling fast decisions, learning, and adaptation. Conversely, the mediating effects of the three DC subdimensions—opportunity sensing, resource acquisition, and resource reconfiguration—were insignificant, suggesting that dynamic capabilities affect performance indirectly via agility rather than directly.
Additionally, the moderating effect of accelerator experience was supported. Accelerator participation transformed the negative effect of resource acquisition capability into a positive one (β = −0.262 → 0.425), enhanced EC’s performance impact, and reduced dependence on OA. This implies that accelerators act as strategic catalysts, restructuring internal capabilities and shifting performance mechanisms from short-term adaptability toward sustainable growth.
In conclusion, startup performance is driven by the interaction between entrepreneurial and organizational competencies mediated by agility. The findings extend dynamic capabilities theory to the startup context and provide practical insights for building capability-based acceleration programs and agility-centered management systems for sustainable entrepreneurial growth.