Firm failure and the exploration/exploitation dilemma: The role of firm life cycle

The survival and prosperity of firms are contingent on their ability to constantly adjust to the state and dynamics of their environments by swiftly embracing the right combination of generic exploration and exploitation strategies. We propose a novel theoretical model linking the pursuit of exploration and exploitation approaches with firm failure in the medium term, stressing the role of the firm life cycle that substantively shapes the underlying relationships. The model is empirically tested using the firm-level data from a large panel dataset from 1988 to 2019 across multiple industries, revealing the moderating impact of the five stages of the firm life cycle (and the transition period between them) on the relation between exploration/exploitation strategies and the likelihood of firm failure. The findings indicate that exploration has a significant negative impact on the likelihood of firm failure during the growth, maturity, and transition stages; however, it significantly increases the likelihood of firm failure in the introduction, shakeout, and decline stages. Exploitation, on the other hand, has a significant negative impact on the likelihood of firm failure in the introduction and maturity stages yet amplifies the probability of failure in the transition phase.