Investigating the Toe Factors Influencing IOT Adoption and SMEs Performance in Pakistan: The Mediating Role of Organization Resilience

Abstract

The development of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) suggests significant changes in the organization's dynamics. Despite its potential gains, IoT has been widely and effectively implemented by businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In terms of IoT adoption, many developing nations are very far behind. Similarly, IoT adoption in the SME sectors of Pakistan remains in its inception. The research will apply the TOE framework, and its theoretical basis is the resource-based perspective (RBV). This study intends to investigate the impact of organizational resilience in mediating the link between IoT adoption and the performance of SMEs in manufacturing sectors. The data for this research will be collected using a questionnaire with a seven-point Likert scale from Pakistani SME owners, executives, and middle managers. On returned surveys, the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach will be used. The empirical findings of this study will give managers and practitioners with helpful theoretical and practical insights for understanding the underlying variables for the effective adoption of IoT in the SME sector to improve company performance.