Women entrepreneurial orientation, organisational learning capability and business performance in a hostile environment

Purpose This study aims to explore how organisational learning capability (OLC) mediates the link between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and small enterprise performance of women-owned and/or managed tourism and hospitality firms in a hostile environment. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a quantitative approach, using a two-wave time-lagged survey to collect data from a sample of 405 women entrepreneurs in the tourism and hospitality small enterprises in Nigeria. A random sampling technique was used to select participants for the survey. Partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) via PLS4 was used to analyse the data collected. Findings The findings indicate that the EO dimensions (i.e. innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking, competitive aggressiveness and autonomy) significantly predict the performance of women-owned and/or managed tourism and hospitality small enterprises. Moreover, the study demonstrates that OLC significantly mediates the impact of all EO dimensions on their performance, except for risk-taking. Originality/value The study addresses the limited understanding of how OLC is central to the performance of entrepreneurial-oriented organisations owned and/or managed by women within the tourism and hospitality industry operating in a hostile environment. Specifically, it clarifies the EO–OLC–performance links through the theoretical frameworks of the resource-based view and organisational learning theory, thereby advancing knowledge at the intersection of gendered entrepreneurship and organisational learning in underexplored contexts.