Adopting Dynamic Capabilities of Mobile Information and Communication Technology in Namibian Small and Medium Enterprises

Abstract

In the world of business, entrepreneurs devise ways to improve aspects of their businesses such as marketing, sales, production, customer relationship management, etc. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has the capacity to support businesses through offering interconnectivity, and anytime and anywhere access capabilities. The mobile capability of ICT impacts on the performance of small and medium enterprises (SME). It has the advantage of providing corporate collaboration and interaction through the sharing of information. Nonetheless, these mobile resources cannot be the sole contributors to a company's competitive performance improvement. There is a need for strategic well-timed actions that can warrant a company's competitive advantage and actions to combine the existing resources in innovative ways. As stated earlier, mobile ICT has the capacity to transform businesses. One aspect of this transformation capacity is its dynamic capabilities (DC). In this study, the capability of mobile ICT to transform SME is analysed. The analysis is done using the Theory of Dynamic Capabilities. DCs refer to the specific ability of business to shape, reshape, configure and reconfigure resources in a response to changing technologies and markets to generate sustainable profits. This can be achieved through the adoption of new and innovative technologies. In this case the technology is the mobility capabilities of ICT. Participants from 40 SMEs were interviewed following Dynamic Capabilities Framework (DCF). The data was analysed to identify how the dynamic capabilities of mobile ICT can transform SMEs, and also to identify the best practices in which these capabilities can be developed and maintained.