Innovation as a Strategic Tool for Enhancing SMEs Performance in Sokoto State
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56919/jbam.2621.025Keywords:
Innovation, Process, Product, Market, SMEsAbstract
This research explores the affiliation between innovation and the performance of SMEsin Sokoto state, Nigeria. Using OLSregression analysis, the study identifies process, organizational, product, and marketing innovation as significant predictors of SME success. Each variable demonstrates a positive coefficient, indicating their collective contribution to improved outcomes. These insights highlight the importance of innovation, competitive pricing, organizational capacity, and effective marketing strategies in driving SME performance. The study emphasizes that SMEs seeking sustainable growth must integrate these factors into their operational and strategic frameworks to sustain their edge within rapidly changing markets.This study concludes that innovationwhether in products, processes, organizational structures, or market strategiessignificantly enhances the performance of SMEs in Sokoto State, Nigeria.The study recommended that policymakers in Sokoto State prioritize innovation-driven policies that provide financial incentives, training opportunities, and infrastructural support to SMEs. Government agencies should establish funding schemes and tax relief programs that encourage firms to invest in product, process, organizational, and market innovation.
References
Abdelwahed, N. A. A., Channa, A., Al Doghan, M. A., & Soomro, B. A. (2025). Anticipating corporate strategy and performance through digital platforms and technology innovation in a developing economy. Corporate & Business Strategy Review, 6(1), 1–12.
Abubakar, J., &Adhama, H. D. (2020). Innovation and SMEs performance in Nigeria: A proposed framework. International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, 7(6), 396–400. (doi.org in Bing)
Abu-Rumman, A., Al Shraah, A., Al-Madi, F., & Alfalah, T. (2021). Entrepreneurial networks, entrepreneurial orientation, and performance of small and medium enterprises: are dynamic capabilities the missing link?Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 10(1), 29.
Adegbite, O., &Ayadi, F. (2021). Market innovation and customer engagement in SMEs: Evidence from emerging economies. Journal of Small Business Management, 59(3), 412–428.
Akinwale, Y. O., Adepoju, A. O., &Olomu, M. O. (2017). The impact of technological innovation on SME's profitability in Nigeria. International Journal of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation, 1(1), 74-92.
Al Habib, M. (2022). Organizational performance: A review and future research agenda. Management Science Letters, 12(1), 1–12.
Argote, L., &Miron-Spektor, E. (2011). Organizational learning: From experience to knowledge. Organization Science, 22(5), 1123–1137.
Arifin, S., &Narmaditya, B. S. (2024). Fostering employee performance of civil servants in Indonesia: The mediating role of organisational citizenship behaviour.SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 22, Article a2412.
Arslan, A., Zahoor, N., & Khan, Z. (2021). Dynamic capabilities, competitiveness and performance of small and medium enterprises: A systematic literature review. Journal of Small Business Management, 59(3), 464–482.
Azari, M. J., Madsen, T. K., & Moen, Ø. (2017). Antecedent and outcomes of innovation-based growth strategies for exporting SMEs. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 24(4), 733-752.
Baita, A. J., &Adhama, H. D. (2020). Innovation and SMEs performance in Nigeria: A proposed framework. International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, 7(6), 396–400.
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120.
Birkinshaw, J., Hamel, G., & Mol, M. J. (2008). Management innovation. Academy of Management Review, 33(4), 825–845.
Crema, M., Verbano, C., &Venturini, K. (2014). Linking strategy with open innovation and performance in SMEs. Measuring Business Excellence, 18(2), 14-27.
Damanpour, F., & Evan, W. M. (1984). Organizational innovation and performance: The problem of “organizational lag”. Administrative Science Quarterly, 29(3), 392–409.
Damanpour, F., & Gopalakrishnan, S. (2001). The dynamics of the adoption of product and process innovations in organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 38(1), 45–65.
Dejardin, M., Raposo, M. L., Ferreira, J. J., Fernandes, C. I., Veiga, P. M., & Farinha, L. (2023). The impact of dynamic capabilities on SME performance during COVID-19. Review of Managerial Science, 17(5), 1703-1729.
Drucker, P. F. (1985). Innovation and entrepreneurship: Practice and principles. Harper & Row.
Egbetokun, A., Siyanbola, W., &Olamade, O. (2020). Innovation capability in Nigerian SMEs: Drivers and outcomes. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 12(3), 321–330.
Eikelenboom, M., & de Jong, G. (2019). The impact of dynamic capabilities on the sustainability performance of SMEs. Journal of Cleaner Production, 235, 1360-1370.
Eisenhardt, K. M., & Martin, J. A. (2000). Dynamic capabilities: What are they? Strategic Management Journal, 21(10–11), 1105–1121.
Expósito, A., &Sanchis-Llopis, J. A. (2019). The relationship between types of innovation and SMEs’ performance: A multi-dimensional empirical assessment. Eurasian Business Review, 9(2), 115-135.
Ferreira, J., & Coelho, A. (2020). Dynamic capabilities, innovation and branding capabilities and their impact on competitive advantage and SME's performance in Portugal: the moderating effects of entrepreneurial orientation. International Journal of Innovation Science, 12(3), 255-286.
Fitriatia, T. K., Purwanab, D., &Buchdadic, A. D. (2020). The role of innovation in improving small medium enterprise (SME) performance. innovation, 11(2), 232-250.
Fredrich, V., Gudergan, S., &Bouncken, R. B. (2022). Dynamic capabilities, internationalization and growth of small-and medium-sized enterprises: The roles of research and development intensity and collaborative intensity. Management International Review, 62(4), 611-642.
Galadanchi, H. A. (2024). Innovative capability and performance of SMEs in Nigeria: A review of literature. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 1(1).
Hazem, A. L. I., &Yunhong, H. A. O. (2020). Innovation Capabilities and Small and Medium Enterprises’ Performance: An Exploratory Study. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business (JAFEB), 7(10), 959-968.
Helfat, C. E., Finkelstein, S., Mitchell, W., Peteraf, M., Singh, H., Teece, D. J., &Winter, S. G. (2007). Dynamic capabilities: Understanding strategic change in organizations. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Henderson, R. M., & Clark, K. B. (1990). Architectural innovation: The reconfiguration of existing product technologies and the failure of established firms. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35(1), 9–30.
Hult, G. T. M., Hurley, R. F., & Knight, G. A. (2004). Innovativeness: Its antecedents and impact on business performance. Industrial Marketing Management, 33(5), 429–438.
Ismanu, S., &Kusmintarti, A. (2019). Innovation and firm performance of small and medium enterprises. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 8, 312.
Johne, A., & Davies, R. (2000). Innovation in medium-sized firms: How marketing drives the process. International Journal of Innovation Management, 4(4), 303–323.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing management (15th ed.). Pearson Education.
Mabenge, B. K., Ngorora-Madzimure, G. P. K., &Makanyeza, C. (2022). Dimensions of innovation and their effects on the performance of small and medium enterprises: The moderating role of firm’s age and size. Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 34(6), 684-708.
Makanyeza, C., &Dzvuke, G. (2015). The influence of innovation on the performance of small and medium enterprises in Zimbabwe. Journal of African Business, 16(1-2), 198-214.
Martins, A. (2023). Dynamic capabilities and SME performance in the COVID-19 era: the moderating effect of digitalization. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 15(2), 188-202.
Nedzinskas, Š., Pundzienė, A., Buožiūtė-Rafanavičienė, S., &Pilkienė, M. (2013). The impact of dynamic capabilities on SME performance in a volatile environment as moderated by organizational inertia. Baltic Journal of Management, 8(4), 376-396.
Nyathi, M., &Kekwaletswe, R. (2023). Realizing employee and organizational performance gains through electronic human resource management use in developing countries. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 14(1), 121–134.
Oduro, S. (2019). Impact of innovation types on SMEs’ performance in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, 5(2), 110-127.
OECD. (2005). Oslo Manual: Guidelines for collecting and interpreting innovation data (3rd ed.). OECD Publishing.
Okoli, I. E. N., Moneme, C. P., & Adani, N. I. (2024). Innovative practices and competitive advantage among SMEs: An empirical review. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 23(3), 2041–2050.
Olaleye, B. R., Lekunze, J. N., Sekhampu, T. J., Khumalo, N., & Ayeni, A. A. W. (2024). Leveraging innovation capability and organizational resilience for business sustainability among small and medium enterprises: A PLS SEM approach. Sustainability, 16(21), 9201.
Otache, I., &Usang, O. U. E. (2022). Innovation capability and SME performance in times of economic crisis: does government support moderate? African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 13(1), 76-88.
Rawlings, B. S., & Reader, S. M. (2024). What is innovation? A review of definitions, approaches, and key questions. In Oxford Handbook of Cultural Evolution (pp. 135–151). Oxford University Press.
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.
Rosli, M. M., &Sidek, S. (2013). The Impact of innovation on the performance of small and medium manufacturing enterprises: Evidence from Malaysia. Journal of innovation management in small & medium enterprises, 2013, 1.
Schumpeter, J. A. (1934). The theory of economic development. Harvard University Press.
Suleiman, I. A., &Abidemi, B. T. (2025). Innovative capabilities and SME performance in turbulent environments: An integrated conceptual framework for Nigeria’s manufacturing sector. Gusau Journal of Business Administration, 4(2).
Susanto, A., Rahman, T., & Widodo, S. (2023). Technological agility and performance in dynamic business environments.Journal of Innovation and Business Strategy, 15(2), 45–60.
Taouab, O., &Issor, Z. (2019). Firm performance: Definition and measurement models.European Scientific Journal, 15(1), 93–106.
Tapanainen, T., Dao, K. T., Thanh, H. N. T., Nguyen, H. T., Dang, N. B., & Nguyen, N. D. (2022). Impact of dynamic capabilities and firm characteristics on the firm performance of Vietnamese small and medium-sized retail enterprises. International journal of management and enterprise development, 21(1), 28-61.
Taylor, S. P. (2017). What is innovation? A study of the definitions, academic models and applicability of innovation. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 5(11), 128–146.
Teece, D. J. (2007). Explicating dynamic capabilities: The nature and microfoundations of sustainable enterprise performance. Strategic Management Journal, 28(13), 1319–1350.
Teece, D. J. (2018). Business models and dynamic capabilities. Long Range Planning, 51(1), 40–49.
Teece, D. J. (2022). The evolution of the dynamic capabilities’ framework. In Artificiality and Sustainability in Entrepreneurship (pp. 113–129). Springer.
Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., &Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533.
Tidd, J., & Bessant, J. (2018). Managing innovation: Integrating technological, market and organizational change (6th ed.). Wiley.
Utterback, J. M., & Abernathy, W. J. (1975). A dynamic model of process and product innovation. Omega, 3(6), 639–656.
Weaven, S., Quach, S., Thaichon, P., Frazer, L., Billot, K., & Grace, D. (2021). Surviving an economic downturn: Dynamic capabilities of SMEs. Journal of Business Research, 128, 109-123.
Zahoor, N., Arslan, A., Miri, D., & Khan, Z. (2022). Organizational resilience, innovation capabilities, and SME performance in high risk contexts. In Innovation and SME performance in emerging economies (pp. 45–67). Springer.
Zahra, S. A., &Covin, J. G. (1995). Contextual influences on the corporate entrepreneurship–performance relationship: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Business Venturing, 10(1), 43–58.
Zhang, H. (2022). Does combining different types of innovation always improve SME performance? An analysis of innovation complementarity. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 7(3), 100192.
Zollo, M., &Winter, S. G. (2002). Deliberate learning and the evolution of dynamic capabilities. Organization Science, 13(3), 339–351.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.










