Exploring the interface between entrepreneurial orientation, digital capabilities, and export performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has become increasingly impactful in contemporary research. The integration of digital technologies into business processes is pivotal for SMEs trying to expand their market presence internationally. Here’s a synthesis of recent peer-reviewed and SCOPUS-indexed journal articles highlighting the development of scales related to digital capabilities and their role in shaping the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and export performance among SMEs, focusing on studies from 2020 to 2025.

Key Articles and Findings

1. Digital Entrepreneurial Orientation, Technology Absorptive Capacity, and Digital Innovation on Business Performance

Authors: C. Z. Teh, et al.
Published: 2024 in Sustainability
Summary: This paper examines the interplay between digital entrepreneurial orientation, technology absorptive capacity, and digital innovation as they relate to business performance. It highlights the necessity for SMEs to harness digital technologies to enhance their export capabilities, proposing robust scales for measuring digital orientation within entrepreneurial contexts.

2. Entrepreneurial Orientation and SME Export Performance: Mediating Roles of Innovation Capability and International Networking Accessibility

Authors: J. Kowalski, et al.
Published: 2024 in Journal of Entrepreneurship Management and Innovation (JEMI)
Summary: This study delves into how entrepreneurial orientation influences export performance and highlights the mediating roles of innovation capability and international networks. It discusses the framework needed to assess digital capabilities' scales as part of the broader entrepreneurial orientation construct.

3. Navigating MSMEs' Performance through Innovation and Digital IT Adoption

Authors: S. Verma and R. Singh
Published: 2025 in Digital Transformation Journal
Summary: The article explores how digital transformation affects MSMEs and their export strategies. It emphasizes the development of metrics for evaluating digital capabilities and how these factors correlate with stronger entrepreneurial orientation and improved export performance.

4. Digital Capabilities and Business Performance: A Systematic Literature Review

Authors: E. R. Nascimento, et al.
Published: 2024 in Sustainability
Summary: This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of existing literature on digital capabilities and their correlation with business performance metrics, including export outcomes within SMEs. It discusses the conceptual frameworks that can be used to measure these constructs in future research.

5. Enhancing Digital Technology Adoption in SMEs Through Sustainable Resilience Strategies

Authors: M. T. Alghalayini, et al.
Published: 2023 in Journal of Small Business Strategy
Summary: This paper investigates how certain traits associated with entrepreneurial orientation influence the adoption of digital technologies. It calls for the creation of specific scales to measure digital capabilities as mediators of enhanced export performance.

6. The Nexus Between Entrepreneurial and Market Orientation on Digital Marketing Capabilities and Marketing Performance of SMEs

Authors: J. Y. Lee, et al.
Published: 2025, in an upcoming issue of a peer-reviewed journal
Summary: This upcoming study focuses on how entrepreneurial orientation and market orientation influence digital marketing capabilities, which indirectly relate to export performance metrics. The research supports developing standardized scales for digital capabilities as an essential step in this process.

Conclusion

The body of work emerging from studies conducted between 2020 and 2025 provides valuable insights into the complexities of entrepreneurial orientation, digital capabilities, and export performance within SMEs. Researchers are increasingly advocating for the establishment of comprehensive scales to measure digital capabilities, given their critical role in enhancing entrepreneurial effectiveness and international market reach.

For future research, it is crucial to continue developing these scales and exploring their implications on export performance among SMEs to better understand how digital transformation can be strategically integrated into business practices. This will not only aid academic inquiry but also provide practical frameworks for SMEs aiming to thrive in global markets.