SPEED OF INTERNATIONALIZATION: MUTUAL EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUAL- AND COMPANY-LEVEL ANTECEDENTS

In recent years many small, young firms have started internationalizing early and have become born globals' (BGs). This study traces the phenomenon to five individual-level and company-level antecedents, including propensity to act, risk tolerance, company-level organization of knowledge, ability to forge company-level consensus, and company-level responsiveness to new environments. Individual-level antecedents are entrepreneurs' psychological qualities and company-level antecedents are organizational behaviors. While these antecedents may or may not individually contribute to the rapid internationalization of small BGs, their interaction significantly speeds up the process. Evidence collected in this study demonstrates that the interaction among these antecedents is a complex mechanism. The interaction can be moderation, mediation, and even mediated moderation. The complex interaction of these antecedents explains the fast internationalization of BGs. The evidence sheds light on the relationships between entrepreneurs' psychological qualities and organizational behaviors. Copyright (C) 2015 Strategic Management Society.