Organizational structure, sense making activities and SMEs’ competitiveness
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a model of competitiveness for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by investigating the structural relationship between organizational structure, knowledge quality (KQ) dimensions, improvisational creativity, compositional creativity and innovat...
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| Format: | Article |
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Emerald
2017
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| Online Access: | http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/667/ |
| _version_ | 1848801873649205248 |
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| author | Valaei, Naser * |
| author_facet | Valaei, Naser * |
| author_sort | Valaei, Naser * |
| building | SU Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a model of competitiveness for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by investigating the structural relationship between organizational structure, knowledge quality (KQ) dimensions, improvisational creativity, compositional creativity and innovation in an emerging market – Malaysia – grounding in sense-making and organizational improvisational theories.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 358 valid questionnaires administered among SMEs’ top management were used in examining the measurement model and structural relationship between latent constructs using partial least squares (PLS) path-modelling approach.
Findings
The findings indicate that a flat organizational structure influences business entities’ sense-making activities in the way they realize the intrinsic value of knowledge (intrinsic KQ) and take action to apply the organizational knowledge (actionable KQ). These sense-making activities are also conducive to SMEs’ improvisational creativity, compositional creativity and innovative capabilities. All KQ dimensions are positively interrelated, thus supporting sense-making theory.
Originality/value
A sustainable competitive advantage for SMEs requires a setting that is based on a lean, decentralized and cooperative organizational structure that shapes organizational KQ. As a contribution to the literature, accessibility KQ is introduced as a KQ dimension. Even though previous research was unclear on the reflectiveness/formativeness of KQ, by applying confirmatory tetrad analysis-PLS, this study empirically supports that KQ is a formative construct. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:14:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | sunway-667 |
| institution | Sunway University |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:14:22Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Emerald |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | sunway-6672019-07-03T09:19:53Z http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/667/ Organizational structure, sense making activities and SMEs’ competitiveness Valaei, Naser * HD28 Management. Industrial Management Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a model of competitiveness for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by investigating the structural relationship between organizational structure, knowledge quality (KQ) dimensions, improvisational creativity, compositional creativity and innovation in an emerging market – Malaysia – grounding in sense-making and organizational improvisational theories. Design/methodology/approach A total of 358 valid questionnaires administered among SMEs’ top management were used in examining the measurement model and structural relationship between latent constructs using partial least squares (PLS) path-modelling approach. Findings The findings indicate that a flat organizational structure influences business entities’ sense-making activities in the way they realize the intrinsic value of knowledge (intrinsic KQ) and take action to apply the organizational knowledge (actionable KQ). These sense-making activities are also conducive to SMEs’ improvisational creativity, compositional creativity and innovative capabilities. All KQ dimensions are positively interrelated, thus supporting sense-making theory. Originality/value A sustainable competitive advantage for SMEs requires a setting that is based on a lean, decentralized and cooperative organizational structure that shapes organizational KQ. As a contribution to the literature, accessibility KQ is introduced as a KQ dimension. Even though previous research was unclear on the reflectiveness/formativeness of KQ, by applying confirmatory tetrad analysis-PLS, this study empirically supports that KQ is a formative construct. Emerald 2017 Article PeerReviewed Valaei, Naser * (2017) Organizational structure, sense making activities and SMEs’ competitiveness. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, 47 (1). pp. 16-41. ISSN 2059-5891 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-04-2016-0015 doi:10.1108/VJIKMS-04-2016-0015 |
| spellingShingle | HD28 Management. Industrial Management Valaei, Naser * Organizational structure, sense making activities and SMEs’ competitiveness |
| title | Organizational structure, sense making activities and SMEs’ competitiveness |
| title_full | Organizational structure, sense making activities and SMEs’ competitiveness |
| title_fullStr | Organizational structure, sense making activities and SMEs’ competitiveness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Organizational structure, sense making activities and SMEs’ competitiveness |
| title_short | Organizational structure, sense making activities and SMEs’ competitiveness |
| title_sort | organizational structure, sense making activities and smes’ competitiveness |
| topic | HD28 Management. Industrial Management |
| url | http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/667/ http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/667/ http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/667/ |