Dynamic capabilities behind performance of exporting firms: Taxonomy, critique, future research directions

Abstract

This study systematically reviews how specific categories of dynamic capabilities (DCs) relate to performance in exporting research. Our sample comprises 53 studies from 50 articles published until the end of 2024, where DCs were examined as predictors of a performance construct in an exporting context. We classify DCs into an established taxonomy based on hierarchical nature (higher, intermediate, lower) and organizational unit of analysis (individual, group, organizational, inter-organizational). Additionally, we synthesize how these DC categories connect to performance in terms of direction, significance, content of financial metrics, measurement level, and directness. The results indicate that exporting firms' performance is mostly hypothesized to be driven by higher-order DCs at the organizational level, with a clear pattern of positive effects of DCs on performance, as measured using both financial and non-financial indicators. Our results further reveal that export-task-specific DCs at the lower-order remain unexplored, while intermediate-order DCs focus heavily on marketing and DCs at individual and group levels are neglected. Moreover, the DC-performance link has mostly been tested directly, with limited involvement of mediators or moderators. We conclude by outlining future research directions that address the gaps and problematic issues identified in the review.

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