Entrepreneurial Orientation and the Management Grid:A Roadmap for the Entrepreneurial Journey

Leadership theories related to entrepreneurs are hard to come by. The dynamics of being a leader within an organizational framework are vastly different from being an entrepreneurial leader. Which competencies need to be focused on? How does one decide the appropriate competencies to be leveraged in various situations? These are the questions sought to be answered in this paper.

The Entrepreneurial Orientation Construct and the Managerial Grid are the models used in developing this conceptual framework. The Entrepreneurial Orientation Construct was distilled to suit an individual level framework and the five competencies arising thereof are identified for enabling appropriate leadership behaviour in the entrepreneurial journey. The Grid purports five distinct leadership styles. Each of these styles will be relevant in different stages of the entrepreneurial firm's development. An attempt is made to link the relevant competencies arising out of the Entrepreneurial Orientation Construct to the desired leadership styles as defined by the Grid, in order to provide a roadmap for entrepreneurial leadership.