Knowledge-sharing quality as a key to SME success: a configurational analysis of social networking, trust, and ambidexterity

Purpose The study aims to investigates how different combinations of social capital, knowledge-sharing and ambidexterity factors contribute to high company performance. By applying fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), we assess 260 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), split by the levels of knowledge-sharing quality, to comprehend the configuration of factors that lead to high performance. Design/methodology/approach fsQCA is used to analyze the optimal composition of factors that would lead to high organizational performance among 260 SMEs in Serbia, divided into two groups based on the knowledge-sharing quality. Findings Multiple combinations of elements of social capital, knowledge sharing and ambidexterity lead to high SME performance. The analysis revealed that four configurations were found in high-quality knowledge-sharing firms and three in low-quality ones. Social trust and exploitative ambidexterity are core to success in high-quality contexts, while ambidexterity and explicit knowledge sharing are crucial in low-quality, knowledge-sharing ones. Practical implications SME managers should develop complementary bundles of social, knowledge and ambidexterity capabilities to enhance performance. Originality/value This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationships among social, knowledge and ambidexterity capabilities, thereby expanding the existing literature that often considers these factors in isolation. Knowledge-sharing quality is viewed as a contextual condition, which offers a new theoretical framework for understanding how combinations of observed factors influence SME performance. The research provides a new perspective within the literature on organizational performance, especially in the domain of dynamic capability theory.