Enhancing SMEs resilience through digital innovation: a stage-based analysis
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), inherently vulnerable entities, prompting a pivotal question of how to enhance SMEs’ organizational resilience (OR) to withstand discontinuous crises. Although digital innovation (DI) is widely acknowledged as a critical antecedent to OR, limited studies have analyzed the configurational effects of DI on OR, particularly stage-based analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
Underpinned by the dynamic capabilities view, this study introduces a multi-stage dynamic capabilities framework for OR. Employing Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), digital product innovation (DPI), digital services innovation (DSI) and digital process innovation (DCI) are further deconstructed into six dimensions. Furthermore, we utilized fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore the configuration effects of six DI on OR at different stages, using data from 94 Chinese SMEs.
Findings
First, OR improvement hinges not on a singular DI but on the interactions among various DIs. Second, multiple equivalent configurations emerge at different stages. Before the crisis, absorptive capability primarily advanced through iterative DPI and predictive DSI. During the crisis, response capability is principally augmented by the iterative DPI, distributed DCI, and integrated DCI. After the crisis, recovery capability is predominantly fortified by the iterative DPI, expanded DPI and experiential DSI. Third, iterative DPI consistently assumes a supportive role in fortifying OR.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the extant literature on DI and OR, offering practical guidance for SMEs to systematically enhance OR by configuring DI across distinct stages.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant/Award Number: 72074061); National Social Science Fund of China (Grant/Award Number: 22&ZD094); Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province (Grant/Award Number: LH2023G012); Social Science Fund of Heilongjiang Province (Grant/Award Number: 22GLB120).
Citation
Wang, X. and Sun, M. (2024), "Enhancing SMEs resilience through digital innovation: a stage-based analysis", European Journal of Innovation Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-09-2023-0800
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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