Innovation Dynamics and the Reconfiguration of Post-COVID Performance in SMEs in the DRC: A Trajectory-Based Model of Organizational Resilience

Abstract

In a crisis context, SME resilience is a major challenge for entrepreneurs and public authorities. However, few studies analyze the differentiated resilience trajectories of African SMEs in a post-pandemic context. This article examines the reconfiguration of Congolese SME performance trajectories after COVID-19, based on innovation dynamics and pre-crisis performance legacies. A survey of 300 SMEs in the city of Goma enabled the construction of innovation and performance indices before and after the crisis, and the identification of three post-crisis trajectories: limited adaptation (AL), adaptive catch-up (RA), and constrained leadership (LC). The results of the OLS models show that procedural and organizational innovations significantly improve organizational and social performance, while the effects on business performance remain limited. The multinomial logit model estimates partially confirm the hypothesis that innovation dynamics positively influence performance trajectories: process innovation significantly increases the probability of belonging to the RA trajectory (OR = 174.369; p<0.01), and organizational innovation also has a positive effect (OR = 38.361; p<0.1), while business innovation reduces this probability (OR = 0.032; p<0.05). Furthermore, performance inheritance steers SMEs more towards a constrained leadership trajectory (OR = 1127.753; p<0.01), reflecting a path-dependence effect. The study thus highlights a persistent adaptation trap and underscores that post-crisis resilience relies primarily on the internal reconfiguration of organizational capabilities.

Classification JEL : O31, O32, L25, M21, C35

Paper type:  Empirical Research