Mitigating environmental effects on new venture growth: The critical role of stakeholder integration across buyer and supplier groups

New ventures face numerous challenges stemming from environmental conditions. There are, however, specific strategies new ventures can take to mitigate potentially adverse external factors. This research draws upon stakeholder theory to offer rationale and evidence of the contingent role of primary stakeholder integration in moderating the influence of environmental conditions on new venture growth. Examination of 183 new ventures reveals that buyer integration mitigates negative effects of environmental dynamism and supplier integration mitigates negative effects of environmental complexity. The implications of these relationships for theory and practice are discussed.