Learning in SME Internationalization: A New Perspective on Learning From Success versus Failure

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Learning in SME Internationalization: A New Perspective on Learning From Success versus Failure Jeoung Yul Lee1,2 · Alfredo Jiménez3 · Timothy M. Devinney4

© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020

Abstract Entrepreneurial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in nearly all economies and are responsible for a significant proportion of cross-border transactions. In order to create and capture opportunities across borders, entrepreneurs in SMEs rely heavily on both self- and vicarious- and experience-based organizational learning. Although a significant percentage of the academic literature has concerned itself with learning from successful experience (or general experience), learning from failed experience (or learning from success versus failure) has receive much less attention. This is despite the fact that failure is generally more pervasive, particular with respect to SMEs, than success. In this paper, we review the extant knowledge on SME success- and failure-based learning from internationalization, with particular emphasis on how the two bases of learning interact. In addition, we relate the five focused issue articles that build on and extend this literature into a set of insightful theoretical and managerial contributions. Keywords  Internationalization process · Learning in internationalization · Learning from success versus failure · Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)

1 Introduction It is well established that the process by which a firm internationalizes has important repercussions for the future success or failure of firms operating in those foreign markets (Qian et  al. 2018; Sedziniauskiene et  al. 2019). Because of the * Jeoung Yul Lee [email protected] 1

National Research Base of Intelligent Manufacturing Service, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, China

2

School of Business Management, Hongik University, Sejong, South Korea

3

Department of Management, Kedge Business School, Talence, France

4

The Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK



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importance of internationalization process to internationalization outcomes, International Business (IB) scholars have embraced internationalization process as a cornerstone conceptual contribution to both the academic literature and with respect to the practical guidance the field gives to managers (Casillas and Moreno-Menendez 2014; Oehme and Bort 2015; Santangelo and Meyer 2011; Sui and Baum 2014). At the core of the internationalization process literature is Johanson and Vahlne’s (1977) Uppsala international process model, as well as well as a series of refinements and updates (Johanson and Vahlne 1990, 2003, 2006, 2009). In its original conceptualization, the Uppsala model, was very much deterministically structured in its prescriptions and predictions. However, by 2009, this rather rigid approached had changed, reflecting more fluidity with respect to “internationalization as an entrep