The impact of strategic orientations on export performance: The mediating role of dynamic capabilities in small and medium-sized exporting companies (Case study: Tehran province)
Keywords:
Strategic Orientations, Dynamic Capabilities, Export Performance, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Tehran ProvinceAbstract
The present study was designed and conducted with the aim of exploring the mechanisms underlying the relationship between strategic orientations and export performance, specifically examining the mediating role of dynamic capabilities in this relationship among small and medium-sized exporting enterprises in Tehran Province. Philosophically, the study is situated within the positivist paradigm and employs a deductive approach, classified as descriptive-explanatory research. The overall research design was a cross-sectional survey, and the statistical population comprised all active exporting SMEs in Tehran Province. Using a non-probability purposive convenience sampling method and based on the partial least squares rule of thumb, a sample size of 185 firms was determined, and standardized questionnaires previously validated in the domestic literature were distributed among the senior managers or export officers of these enterprises. The measurement instruments covered three constructs—strategic orientations (with the dimensions of market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, and learning orientation), dynamic capabilities, and export performance—on a five-point Likert scale. Their validity and reliability were established through content validity, convergent validity (AVE > 0.50), divergent validity (Fornell-Larcker criterion), Cronbach's alpha (ranging from 0.76 to 0.91), and composite reliability (above 0.8). Data analysis was performed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4 software. The findings revealed that strategic orientations did not have a significant direct effect on export performance (β = 0.13, t = 1.54), whereas their effect on dynamic capabilities (β = 0.58, t = 8.42) and the effect of dynamic capabilities on export performance (β = 0.42, t = 5.67) were positive and significant. The indirect effect of strategic orientations on export performance through dynamic capabilities was also found to be significant (β = 0.24, t = 4.89), confirming the full mediating role of dynamic capabilities in this relationship. Among the three dimensions of strategic orientation, market orientation was identified as the strongest predictor of dynamic capabilities. These results indicate that strategic orientations lead to favorable export performance solely through the creation and strengthening of dynamic capabilities, and the strategic philosophy of the organization remains a mere intention without the support of adaptive capacities and continuous learning.
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