Learning in silence: how tacit knowledge and alliances enable recovery among emerging market SMEs

Purpose This study investigates how strategic alliances foster post-disruption recovery among manufacturing SMEs in emerging markets by examining the mediating role of tacit knowledge capture and the moderating effect of disruption absorption capacity. Anchored in the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities framework, we conceptualize alliances as dynamic platforms that provide access to complementary resources such as expertise and technology. The study advances resilience scholarship by unpacking the micro-mechanisms through which alliances generate recovery, emphasizing the synergistic interplay of tacit knowledge and disruption in enabling SMEs to adapt and sustain competitiveness in disruption-intensive environments. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities framework, the study develops and tests a conditional indirect effects model using primary data from 247 manufacturing SMEs in Ghana. Hypotheses were tested with Hayes' PROCESS macro to estimate the mediation and moderation effects simultaneously. Findings Results show that tacit knowledge embedded in alliance routines enhances firms' ability to reconfigure resources and recover from disruptions. Moreover, buffering capacity strengthens this indirect effect by providing the slack and flexibility needed to assimilate and apply external knowledge effectively. Research limitations/implications The reliance on single-respondent survey data introduces potential bias despite robustness checks. Moreover, the focus on Ghana's manufacturing sector constrains generalizability. Future research should employ longitudinal and multi-informant approaches across diverse contexts to strengthen causal claims and explore additional mediators such as learning orientation or digitalization. The findings extend RBV and knowledge-based view scholarship by conceptualizing alliances as dynamic recovery platforms and by theorizing tacit knowledge capture as a central resilience mechanism in emerging markets. Practical implications For SME managers, the findings highlight the importance of cultivating alliances that foster deep knowledge exchange rather than transactional partnerships. Building sufficient internal buffers further enhances firms' ability to convert externally sourced tacit knowledge into effective recovery actions, thereby improving post-disruption resilience. Social implications By strengthening SME resilience, alliances and tacit knowledge capture contribute to employment stability and economic resilience in disruption-prone economies. Resilient SMEs sustain supply chain continuity and protect livelihoods during crises, reducing vulnerabilities at the community level. Encouraging interfirm collaboration also fosters collective knowledge-sharing, reinforcing regional resilience. Policymakers should incentivize alliance formation and support knowledge transfer initiatives, thereby mitigating the broader societal impacts of disruptions and fostering more inclusive, sustainable development trajectories in emerging markets. Originality/value This study advances the knowledge-based and dynamic capabilities perspectives by revealing how tacit knowledge functions as a mediating mechanism linking alliances to resilience outcomes and when buffering capacity amplifies this process. It positions alliances, knowledge flows and buffering capability as synergistic drivers of organizational resilience in emerging market contexts.