Title: The microfoundations of the innovation-internationalisation nexus: insight from SME manufacturers in Canada

Authors: Hela Chebbi; Majdi Ben Selma; Kamal Bouzinab; Alexie Labouze-Nasica

Addresses: ESG UQAM, Department of Strategy and CSR, University of Quebec at Montreal, 315 St Catherine St E, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 3X2, Canada ' ESG UQAM, Department of Strategy and CSR, University of Quebec at Montreal, 315 St Catherine St E, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 3X2, Canada ' ESG UQAM, Department of Strategy and CSR, University of Quebec at Montreal, 315 St Catherine St E, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 3X2, Canada ' ESG UQAM, Department of Strategy and CSR, University of Quebec at Montreal, 315 St Catherine St E, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 3X2, Canada

Abstract: Faced with the changing dynamics of the current global environment, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have increasingly realised the need to distinguish themselves through their capacity for innovation, but also internationalisation. Within research on SMEs, more and more studies are trying to explain the nature of the links between innovation and internationalisation (Athreye and Fassio, 2019; Basic, 2021; Pastelakos et al., 2023; Do et al., 2023). However, the mechanisms by which innovation promotes and influences the internationalisation of SMEs have received scant scholarly attention. Hence the following question: How do microfoundations contribute to fostering innovation within SMEs in an internationalization perspective? To fill this gap, this paper aims to better understand the mechanisms (individual, structural and process) that engender innovation and their role in SME engagement in foreign markets. Five case studies were conducted at Quebec SMEs operating in the manufacturing sector. The results provide insights about some important microfoundations: cognitive capital, open innovation culture, strategic intelligence, organic and agile structure.

Keywords: internationalisation; innovation; SMEs; small and medium-sized enterprises; microfoundations.

DOI: 10.1504/JGBA.2023.138939

Journal for Global Business Advancement, 2023 Vol.16 No.3, pp.366 - 390

Received: 30 Dec 2023
Accepted: 16 Jan 2024
Published online: 04 Jun 2024 *

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