When resilience relies on an heterogeneity of entrepreneurial decision-making profiles: Innovative Start-ups in Emilia Romagna

This study explores which factors have influenced the reactions of digital start-ups entrepreneurs during the Covid-19 crisis in Italy. The Covid-19 pandemic caused a disruptive crisis and posed serious threats to start-ups and new ventures that are in their infancy stage, making them more vulnerable to external shocks, therefore the investigation of their resilient capacity is of primary importance for entrepreneurship scholars. Despite the increasing attention of researchers on decision-making processes, little is known about the motives guiding those processes during crises. Many factors influence decision-making processes, making them complex to analyse. This paper analyzed, with fsQCA, data from a survey of 158 entrepreneurs. Results show four types of decision-makers, prudent, organized, flexible and balanced for the decisions related to Covid-19 resilience.