The pathway to winning: optimizing small and medium enterprises performance in the construction industry through tailored success factors

Small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in most developing countries. However, many of these enterprises face a range of challenges that hinder their growth and survival. This research aimed to examine the critical success factors affecting the growth of different sizes of SMEs in the Ethiopian construction industry. The novelty of the paper lies in addressing the identification problem found in the existing literature by employing appropriate estimation techniques to quantify the contribution of multiple success factors, thereby moving beyond descriptive statistics. Using an ordered logit model, we obtained interesting and informative results about the effects of critical success factors on the growth of SMEs. The results invariably suggest that the contribution of the critical success factors depends on the firm's specific factors (annual turnover). We found that not all factors exert comparable effects on success; certain factors wield a substantial influence for larger SMEs, whereas others demonstrate a significant impact on smaller SMEs. The gender of the owner has a positive and significant impact on the sustainable growth and success of Ethiopian construction firms with an annual turnover below 500,000 Birr. In contrast, for firms with an annual turnover above 500,000 Birr, the entrepreneur’s education level and entrepreneurial orientation are strongly and positively associated with firm success, showing a greater influence compared to lower-turnover firms. Therefore, this paper strongly recommends SME owners, managers, and staffs consider the level of annual turnover as the effectiveness of success factors depends on the level of annual turnover.