Entrepreneurial orientation confronting disruption: embedded in networks in Iran and Norway during the COVID-19 pandemic

How do enterprises and workers respond to the disruption in two countries with contrasting cultures? A sample of 431 knowledge workers was surveyed in Iran and Norway during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, reporting on entrepreneurial orientation and networks of their organisations and on their adaptation and work. Entrepreneurial orientation and networking are found to be stronger in enterprises in secular-rational Norway than in traditional Iran, as hypothesised. During the disruption, the entrepreneurial orientation of enterprises enhanced their internal and external networking, which promotes their workers' adaptation and entrepreneurial work. The study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by showing the embeddedness of entrepreneurial orientation in society. Moreover, the contribution of this study is to demonstrate the importance of entrepreneurial orientation during disruption for networking, for workers' adaptation and for entrepreneurial work. The findings provide managers with insights to adopt an entrepreneurial orientation and to build internal and external networks, as well as coping with disruptions.