Unveiling the Sustainable Resilience of SMEs: A Decadal Bibliometric-Systematic Synthesis of Dynamic Capabilities in Emerging Economies (2014–2024)

Abstract

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies face institutional voids, financial exclusion, and regulatory volatility that make dynamic capabilities (DCs) essential for organizational sustainability. Yet the literature linking DCs, sustainability, and emerging-economy SMEs remains fragmented across contexts, frameworks, and methods. This study maps the intellectual structure, thematic evolution, and knowledge gaps in this literature through a bibliometric-systematic literature review (B-SLR) combining bibliometric analysis (Bibliometrix, VOSviewer) with PRISMA 2020 narrative synthesis, drawing on Scopus and Web of Science records for 2014-2024. A preliminary analysis of 30 records shows high dispersion across 26 journals, eight thematic clusters led by leadership and human capital, organizational performance, and green sustainability, and a 73.3% Gold Open Access rate. The highest-impact emerging records converge on green intellectual capital and sustainable work behavior in SMEs. A strategic thematic diagram positions digital transformation and SME context as transversal emerging themes, while resilience and innovation management occupy niche positions. The study offers the first bibliometric-systematic cartography integrating Teece's Dynamic Capabilities Framework with Elkington's Triple Bottom Line within the institutional-void landscape of emerging economies, and proposes a categorized research agenda addressing theoretical, methodological, and contextual gaps. Practical implications are drawn for SME managers and policymakers operating under high institutional uncertainty.