Digital Technologies and Organizational Resilience in SMEs: A Critical Reading Note on Martín-Rojas et al. (2026)

Abstract This critical reading note examines the study by Martín-Rojas, Garrido-Moreno, and García-Morales (2026), which investigates the relationships between digital technologies, transformational leadership, innovation capability, organizational resilience, and business performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The original study analyses data from 206 Spanish SMEs using structural equation modelling. Its findings indicate positive relationships between digital technology use, transformational leadership, innovation capability, and organizational resilience, as well as a positive relationship between resilience and business performance. This note summarizes the study's research approach and principal findings, discusses selected methodological limitations, and considers their potential implications for operations management and continuous improvement. Particular attention is given to the challenge of translating organization-level resilience into practical operational capabilities in manufacturing contexts. The note also identifies questions for further investigation, including how continuous improvement practices and shop-floor routines may contribute to organizational readiness for disruption. As a critical commentary, this document does not report new empirical data or independently test the relationships examined in the original study. Its interpretations are preliminary and should be considered in light of the original study's context, cross-sectional design, and focus on Spanish SMEs.