•  Journal: Small Business International Review
  • eISSN: 2531-0046
  • Section: Research Articles

Explaining Heterogeneous Performance Outcomes in MSME Technology Adoption: A Cluster-Based Integrative Review

Available online 1 October 2026, Version of Record 1 October 2026

Abstract

Why do similar technological investments generate heterogeneous performance outcomes across Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs)? Although research on MSME technology adoption has expanded significantly, theoretical perspectives have largely evolved in isolation, limiting cumulative integration. This study addresses this fragmentation through a cluster-based bibliometric review of 377 peer-reviewed articles published between 1982 and 2024. Combining Co-occurrence Network Analysis (VOS mapping) and Normalized Local Citation Scores (NLCS), we identify five interrelated thematic clusters. Findings indicate that MSME technology adoption is best conceptualized as a capability-mediated and context-contingent orchestration process rather than a linear technology–performance relationship, providing a foundation for configurational and multi-level explanations of performance heterogeneity.
Keywords: technology adoption; small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); bibliometric analysis; systematic integrative literature review

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