Relational Capabilities into Small- and Middle-Sized Firms: a Mind-Blowing Strategic Asset

• Published in: Journal of the knowledge economy 2024-06, Vol.15 (2), p.6201-6225
• Main Authors: Pigola, Angélica, da Costa, Priscila Rezende
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Credibility; Economic Policy; Economics; Economics and Finance; Entrepreneurship; Innovations; Ontology; Pragmatism; R & D/Technology Policy; Realism; Small & medium sized enterprises-SME
• ISSN: 1868-7873; 1868-7865; 1868-7873
• DOI: 10.1007/s13132-023-01350-5

This article provides a more comprehensive view of relational capabilities (RC) as strategic issues (SI) within small and medium enterprises (SMEs). As SMEs have assumed high relevance in different business sectors and research fields, RC have demonstrated a crucial role in addressing various SI to overcome business challenges. Therefore, through the lens of the relational-based view, we highlight how RC are critical for SMEs, proposing a prescriptive description of RC to be managed by SMEs. Under an ontological realism and pragmatism approach, we adopt rational explanations and develop sets of recommendations within the current RC structures through a systematic literature review of 40 case studies published from 1994 to 2022. This study uncovered implicit features of RC as SI in different SME contexts. The findings reveal five RC latent factors, relational issues, collaboration, networks, innovative relationships, and relational performance to support various SI. The main SI identified were skills and behaviors, business relevance, connections and partnerships, disruptive innovation, and partner integration. Therefore, by presenting a qualitative RC conceptual framework, this research offers a linking mechanism on how RC guide SI in SME contexts. This study was conducted to respect an ontological realism and pragmatism approach for judging the validity and quality of findings adopting an epistemological postpositivist approach ensuring (1) credibility, (2) transferability, (3) dependability, and (4) confirmability of the data. It contributes to the social capital and dynamic capabilities literature by expanding, through a relational-based view, the understanding of the relevant role of RC in managing various SI within the context of SMEs.