Strategic perspectives, creativity, and financial performance in Vietnamese SMEs

This study examines the relationships between the inside-out and outside-in perspectives of strategists, organizational creativity, and financial performance in Vietnamese small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Based on the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities view, we collected cross-sectional data from 382 managers at all levels of Vietnamese SMEs. The study employed partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings confirm that the inside-out perspective positively affects organizational creativity but has a negative impact on financial performance. Conversely, the outside-in perspective positively affects both organizational creativity and financial performance. Additionally, the study reveals that organizational creativity positively affects financial performance and acts as a mediator between both perspectives and financial performance. Thus, the study suggests that SMEs can benefit from adopting an outside-in perspective to enhance both their organizational creativity and financial performance. Overall, the study contributes to the literature on the cognitive school of strategic management in SMEs.