Organizational resources and the relationship with small and medium enterprise's performance in Pakistan : The moderating role of technological turbulence

The growth in technological extents and their use in numerous dimensions plays a vital role across the world in relationships between various organizational resources with performance. This study builds on the number of earlier studies that focus on the relationship between Total Quality Management, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and other internal resources with firm performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between Total Quality Management, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and Knowledge Management Capabilities with the performance of Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan’s sports goods manufacturing industry. The study investigates how Information Technology, as a form of technological turbulence, moderates these relationships to enhance firm performance. This study specifically analyzes the declining performance of SMEs in the sports goods manufacturing sector, which has experienced negative growth over the past five years, reaching a decline of 21 percent. Data for the study were collected from Sialkot, recognized as the hub of sports goods manufacturing in Pakistan. A total of 361 completed questionnaires were obtained using a simple random sampling technique. The study employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the research hypotheses. The results highlight that Total Quality Management, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and Knowledge Management Capabilities, as strategic orientations, significantly influence the performance of SMEs in Pakistan’s sports goods manufacturing sector. Furthermore, the findings indicate that Information Technology acts as a moderating factor in the relationship between these strategic orientations and SMEs performance, strengthening their overall impact. The findings show that Entrepreneurial Orientation enhances the performance of SMEs, particularly when moderated by Information Technology. The research also reveals that Total Quality Management and Knowledge Management Capabilities play a significant role in the success of SMEs. These findings provide valuable insights into how different strategic orientations influence SMEs performance. The study offers practical implications for researchers, policymakers, and SMEs owners or managers, helping them make informed strategic decisions for their enterprises. Additionally, the study suggests that this model could be applied to other sectors beyond the sports goods manufacturing industry, making it broadly applicable for improving SMEs performance across various industries