Institutional Logics and Venture Survival in Resource-Constrained Environments

This study examines how founding teams’ institutional logics shape the survival trajectories of entrepreneurial ventures operating under resource constraints. Specifically, it asks how commercially oriented and family-oriented logics influence firm persistence and exit over time. Drawing on a longitudinal dataset tracking ventures since 2016, the study integrates institutional theory with strategic management perspectives to analyze how underlying logics influence resource allocation, exploration–exploitation trade-offs, and responses to environmental constraints. The empirical analysis employs survival analysis techniques, including time-to-event models, to examine patterns of venture exit and persistence. The findings reveal distinct survival dynamics associated with different institutional logics. Commercially oriented logics are associated with stronger early-stage performance driven by market-oriented decision-making, but exhibit greater vulnerability under sustained constraints. In contrast, family-oriented logics are associated with greater resilience and persistence under uncertainty, reflecting differing thresholds for continuation and interpretations of failure. These results contribute to entrepreneurship and strategy research by showing that venture survival is not determined solely by resources or performance, but also by the interpretive frameworks guiding strategic action. By linking institutional logics to survival outcomes, the study advances a more process-oriented understanding of selection dynamics in resource-constrained environments.