Collaborative practices and market access performance: evidence from small- and medium-sized enterprises

Purpose This study examines both the sufficient and necessary collaborative conditions that drive market access performance among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana. It explores how partner complementarity (PC), transaction-specific investment (TSI) and network intensity (NI) interact to enhance market access, assessing NI's mediating role and the minimum collaboration thresholds required for performance improvement. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey of 331 owners and managers of SMEs was analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling to test sufficiency relationships and necessary condition analysis (NCA) to identify the minimum collaboration levels required to achieve specific market access. Findings Results show that PC and TSIs significantly enhance market access, both directly and indirectly through NI. The mediation analysis and NCA findings further demonstrate that NI is not only significant but also a strong necessary condition across firm sizes. In addition, collaboration thresholds vary across firm sizes: small firms achieve market access gains with moderate levels of collaboration, while medium-sized firms require substantially higher levels of TSI and PC to reach equivalent performance. Practical implications The study highlights the importance for SMEs to intentionally invest in deepening networks that leverage valuable forms of social capital, such as trust, referrals and knowledge exchange. Collaborative strategies, including networks, partnerships, and alliances, provide pathways for SMEs to pool resources, share complementary capabilities and enhance legitimacy. Originality/value The study integrates sufficiency and necessity perspectives to develop and test a framework that quantifies the conditions required for effective market access. Using the NCA, the study shows not only which collaborative practices improve market access, but also how much of each practice is required for firms to achieve significant benefits. It links the resource-based view and social capital theory, illustrating how external relational resources complement internal capabilities and how firm size shapes collaborative performance pathways.