KSAO de CEOs e desempenho estratégico de startups: desenvolvimento e validação de um modelo estrutural

Abstract

Startups play a central role in driving innovation but operate under high uncertainty, resource constraints, and elevated failure rates, making it essential to understand how the individual attributes of CEOs influence strategic management. This thesis aims to investigate how the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAO) of founders contribute to overcoming organizational barriers and fostering strategies for resilience and growth, integrating theoretical evidence with empirical validation. The research employed a multimethod approach structured around a BibliometricSystematic Literature Review (B-SLR), supported by the PRISMA protocol and complemented by content analysis. A search conducted in the Web of Science (20142024) resulted in a final sample of 72 peer-reviewed articles, from which 30 KSAO variables, eight barriers to startup management, and fifteen mitigation strategies were identified. These findings supported the development of an integrative conceptual model, later empirically validated through a survey of 326 Brazilian startup CEOs, analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results demonstrate that KSAO variables related to leadership, adaptability, problem-solving, strategic management, communication, market intelligence, and innovation capabilities significantly influence startups’ ability to face uncertainty, manage financial constraints, strengthen partnerships, improve processes, and sustain growth. The empirical validation confirms structural relationships between KSAO and strategic management, showing that CEOs with more developed KSAO profiles are better equipped to navigate complexity and guide their organizations in rapidly evolving environments. The thesis concludes that the development of entrepreneurial human capital is a key determinant of startup performance, resilience, and longevity, offering theoretical contributions through a robust KSAO taxonomy and explanatory model, and practical contributions by informing training initiatives, managerial development, and innovation-support policies.