Comportamento empreendedor e estratégias de enfrentamento em situações adversas: uma análise de MPMEs na pandemia da Covid-19 a partir da perspectiva causation e effectuation

Abstract

Entrepreneurship plays a key role in the economy and is highlighted for its ability to drive the country's development. However, in the face of a global pandemic scenario, this capacity is significantly reduced. The economic, financial, and social developments that occurred with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic are still being evaluated. The objective of the research was to analyze the influence of Entrepreneurial Behavior (EB) on coping strategies and on the recovery capacity of micro, small and medium-sized companies (MSMEs), throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, from the perspective of Causation and Effectuation. From a methodological point of view, the thesis was carried out in an alternative structure in three studies. In the first study, an analysis of the panorama of international publications on the concept of entrepreneurial behavior and strategy in different contexts was carried out, through a systematic review of the literature with data processing supported by the StArt tool and analysis and content with the help of Atlas software. In the second study, the different theoretical perspectives related to the concept of Entrepreneurial Behavior in Adverse Situations were analyzed, identifying gaps, theoretical axes and proposing a new research agenda, through a systematic literature review with data treatment supported by the StArt tool and analysis and content with the help of Atlas.ti software. In the third study, an exploratory descriptive research was carried out with a qualitative method, with entrepreneurs from the city of São Paulo - SP and São Luís - MA, both capitals of their respective states, with the objective of analyzing the influence of Entrepreneurial Behavior on entrepreneurial strategies coping and recovery capacity of micro, small and medium-sized companies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, from the Causation and Effectuation perspective. Therefore, an empirical study was carried out in two stages: the first stage was conducted through the application of a semi-structured online questionnaire through Google Forms with questions related to the profile of the entrepreneur and his company and, in the second stage, interviews were carried out with a semi-structured script, with questions related to entrepreneurial behavior, the strategies adopted, the impacts of the pandemic, government support and issues related to causation and effectuation approaches, the content analysis was supported by the Atlas.ti software. The research results indicate that there is a positive relationship between Entrepreneurial Behavior (EB) and strategy and that the EB influences decision making and contributes to organizational performance. Adverse situations such as a pandemic, especially in the proportions of COVID-19, are generally understood as critical events, widely shared and devastating by entrepreneurs. And, in these situations, entrepreneurs follow unusual procedures and the unexpected occurrence of these adversities requires speed in the responses of organizational actors. The success of an enterprise is often determined by the ability to respond quickly and effectively to changes in the external environment, especially in the midst of adversity, which is particularly necessary. When identifying changes in adverse situations, the EB arises from the external environment and, together with strategic thinking, establishes the execution of the necessary changes, which can sometimes contribute to the organization's balance. In adverse situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, entrepreneurs highlighted five characteristics of the EB as the most relevant: trust, resilience, proactivity, innovation and self-determination. Most entrepreneurs used effectual approaches in decision making and adopted multiple coping strategies, in this study, classified as: financial, pivotal business model, marketing, customers, products and services, collaborators, technology, partnerships and health protocols. It was possible to show that causation entrepreneurs were able to more quickly identify the need to change the modus operandis and this influenced the speed of change in their business. And that resilience was the most prominent word in the behavioral changes of entrepreneurs congruent with the studies on the ability to recover. The EB is particularly important in the responsiveness and recovery of enterprises and exerts a positive influence on the strategies adopted by entrepreneurs. This thesis is expected to contribute to the advancement of the field of entrepreneurship research, especially the EB, and to provide support in understanding how the EB influences organizational strategy and manifests itself in adverse situations, from the point of view of the individual and the organizations. Causation and Effectuation type behavior approaches identifying gaps and providing insights for future research. In addition, the results may be useful for the creation of intervention plans and the design of public policies and programs that help in the recovery of entrepreneurs affected by the impacts of the pandemic, as well as future adversities. It is expected to collaborate with the business community, from the discussion of theoretical concepts and streams of thought about the EB and coping strategies adopted in adverse situations and how they influence the recovery capacity of micro, small and medium-sized companies in a context of adversities, based on the chosen approaches of causation and effectuation.