Rethinking entrepreneurial orientation and performance: a 30 – year bibliometric review towards more contextual and sustainable perspectives

Abstract

Purpose This paper examines the evolution of research on Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) and its relationship with firm performance over a 30-year period. While EO remains a central construct in entrepreneurship studies, concerns persist regarding its conceptual consolidation, limited contextual diversity, and the peripheral treatment of sustainability, gender and community-based perspectives. By reassessing the field through a systematic and bibliometric lens, the study aims to clarify dominant trajectories, identify structural blind spots, and contribute to a more context-sensitive and inclusive understanding of EO-performance research. Design/methodology/approach A total of 1,904 peer-reviewed articles published between 1994 and June 2024 were retrieved from Scopus using a transparent and reproducible search protocol. The study combines citation, co-citation and co-occurrence analyses to map authors, journals, institutions, countries and thematic clusters. The bibliometric results were interpreted following the principles of a bibliometric-systematic literature review (B-SLR), including explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria, the use of PRISMA guidance, and a brief expert validation step to strengthen the consistency of cluster interpretation. Findings The analysis identifies three phases of development, with a marked acceleration after 2005 and a relative conceptual stabilisation in recent years. The field is largely shaped by Western institutions and journals, with limited engagement with contextually diverse or sustainability-oriented perspectives. Dominant themes include export performance, market orientation, absorptive capacity and innovation. Topics related to community-based entrepreneurship, gender, and the Global South remain marginal. The results point to a need for broader contextualisation and greater integration of contemporary societal challenges in EO-performance research. Research limitations/implications The review is limited by its reliance on a single database and the constraints of bibliometric methods, which privilege indexed, English-language research. Local studies and non-indexed evidence are therefore underrepresented. Nevertheless, the review provides a consolidated basis for future enquiry and highlights structural gaps in the EO-performance literature. It suggests the need for greater contextual diversity, deeper theorisation of contingencies, and expanded engagement with sustainability, inclusiveness and socio-institutional conditions shaping entrepreneurial behaviour. Originality/value This study offers a consolidated and critical reassessment of three decades of EO-performance research. By combining bibliometric mapping with a systematic analytical perspective, it highlights structural biases, conceptual blind spots and under-explored themes. The review provides a foundation for repositioning EO research within more contextually grounded, inclusive and sustainability-oriented paradigms, in line with the journal’s focus on enterprising communities and locally relevant forms of entrepreneurship.