Strategic HRM, Digital Marketing Capability, and Startup Performance: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation in Generation Z Digital Startups
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62794/ijober.v4i2.224Keywords:
Entrepreneurial Orientation, Digital Marketing Capability, Digital Startup Performance, Human Resource ManagementAbstract
ABSTRACT
This study examines the effect of Strategic Human Resource Management and Digital Marketing Capability on Generation Z Digital Startup Performance, with Entrepreneurial Orientation as a mediating variable. The research addresses the limited integration of organizational capability and entrepreneurial orientation perspectives in explaining startup performance. A quantitative approach was employed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with data from 200 founders and managers of digital startups in Indonesia. The results indicate that Strategic HRM and Digital Marketing Capability have positive and significant effects on both Entrepreneurial Orientation and startup performance. Entrepreneurial Orientation partially mediates these relationships. The structural model demonstrates strong explanatory power (R² = 0.62) and satisfactory goodness-of-fit indicators. The findings suggest that organizational capabilities must be activated through entrepreneurial orientation to generate superior performance. This study contributes to the development of an integrative capability-based framework within the context of Generation Z digital startups and provides strategic implications for integrated HR and digital marketing management.
References
Alolayyan, M., Alyahya, M., & Alomari, D. (2021). Strategic human resource management practices and human capital development: The role of employee commitment. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 19. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.19(2).2021.13
AlTaweel, I. R., & Al-Hawary, S. I. (2021). The mediating role of innovation capability on the relationship between strategic agility and organizational performance. Sustainability, 13, 7564. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147564
Anwar, G., & Abdullah, N. N. (2021). The impact of human resource management practice on organizational performance. International Journal of Engineering, Business and Management (IJEBM), 5(1), 35–47. https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijebm.5.1.4
Appio, F., Frattini, F., Petruzzelli, A., & Neirotti, P. (2021). Digital transformation and innovation management: A synthesis of existing research and an agenda for future studies. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 38, 4–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12562
CB Insights. (2023). The top reasons startups fail. https://www.cbinsights.com
Chaudhary, R., Rangnekar, S., & Barua, M. K. (2022). High-performance work systems and entrepreneurial behavior: The mediating role of psychological empowerment. Employee Relations, 44(5), 1056–1073. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-02-2021-0084
Choudhary, P., & Kunte, M. (2024). Is high-performance work system making employees happy? An integrated model and research agenda for sustainable organizational growth. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 36, 401–419. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-023-09451-8
Era, J. R. (2024). Strategic human resource management practices as antecedents of employee corporate entrepreneurial intensity: The moderation of organizational culture. SEISENSE Business Review, 4(1), 75–97. https://doi.org/10.33215/ew96wp27
Fatonah, F., Azlan, L. O. M., & Anggraeni, F. (2024). Digitalisasi kewirausahaan: Analisis tren technopreneurship di kalangan generasi milenial. Jurnal Review Pendidikan dan Pengajaran, 7(4), 17941–17949. https://doi.org/10.31004/jrpp.v7i4.39522
Felin, T., Foss, N. J., & Ployhart, R. E. (2015). The microfoundations movement in strategy and organization theory. Academy of Management Annals, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.5465/19416520.2015.1007651
Foltean, F. S., Trif, S. M., & Tuleu, D. L. (2019). Customer relationship management capabilities and social media technology use: Consequences on firm performance. Journal of Business Research, 104, 563–575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.10.047
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Huwaida, L. A., et al. (2024). Generation Z and Indonesian social commerce: Unraveling key drivers of their shopping decisions. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 10(2), 100256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2024.100256
Irawan, T. T., Mansor, M. N., & Ramlee, A. A. (2023). Entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance: A systematic review. European Business & Management, 9(3), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ebm.20230903.12
Kim, J., & Jin, W. (2024). Impact of digital capabilities on entrepreneurial performance in SMEs. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 9, 100609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100609
Mikalef, P., Krogstie, J., Pappas, I. O., & Pavlou, P. A. (2020). Exploring the relationship between big data analytics capability and competitive performance: The mediating roles of dynamic and operational capabilities. Information & Management, 57(2), 103169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2019.05.004
Nambisan, S. (2017). Digital entrepreneurship: Toward a digital technology perspective of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 41(6), 1029–1055. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12254
Puspaningtyas, M., et al. (2025). Management without investors: Control, risk, and strategic decisions leading to an exit strategy for bootstrapped startups. East Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (EAJMR), 4(11), 5483–5494. https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v4i11.468
Rosário, A. T., & Dias, J. C. (2023). The new digital economy and sustainability: Challenges and opportunities. Sustainability, 15(14), 10902. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151410902
Schroth, H. (2019). Are you ready for Gen Z in the workplace? California Management Review, 61(3), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125619841006
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2020). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (5th ed.). Wiley.
Sholokwu, B. M. (2024). Dynamic capabilities and entrepreneurial success: A theoretical approach. World Journal of Entrepreneurial Development Studies (WJEDS), 9(7), 89–106. https://doi.org/10.56201/wjeds.v9.no7.2024.pg89.106
Soares, M. D. C., & Perin, M. G. (2020). Entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance: An updated meta-analysis. RAUSP Management Journal, 55(2), 143–159. https://doi.org/10.1108/RAUSP-01-2019-0014
Sugiyono. (2022). Metodologi penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif dan R&D. Alfabeta.
Teece, D. J. (2016). Dynamic capabilities and entrepreneurial management in large organizations: Toward a theory of the (entrepreneurial) firm. European Economic Review, 86, 202–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2015.11.006
Trainor, K. J., Andzulis, J., Rapp, A., & Agnihotri, R. (2014). Social media technology usage and customer relationship performance: A capabilities-based examination of social CRM. Journal of Business Research, 67(6), 1201–1208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.05.002
Wales, W. J., Covin, J. G., Schüler, J., et al. (2023). Entrepreneurial orientation as a theory of new value creation. Journal of Technology Transfer, 48, 1752–1772. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-023-10021-1
Zhang, F., & Zhu, L. (2021). Social media strategic capability, organizational unlearning, and disruptive innovation of SMEs: The moderating roles of TMT heterogeneity and environmental dynamism. Journal of Business Research, 133, 183–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.071
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mulyadi Nursi, Henry Risnawati, Deny Gustiawan, Rachmad Risqy Kurniawan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
