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<p>This study examines how leadership shapes strategic innovation performance among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa’s food and beverage sector. Despite their central role in employment and value creation, many SMEs continue to face challenges such as weak innovation culture, limited R&amp;D engagement, and inconsistent leadership practices. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected from 210 SMEs across nine provinces and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). The measurement model demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity (CR = 0.82–0.91; AVE = 0.54–0.68) with strong fit indices (CFI = 0.951, TLI = 0.943, RMSEA = 0.041). Leadership was found to significantly and positively influence both innovation culture (β = 0.47, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) and strategic innovation performance (β = 0.39, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Innovation culture also exerted a significant indirect effect, mediating the relationship between leadership and innovation performance (indirect β = 0.28, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). The findings extend the resource-based view by identifying innovation culture as a critical intangible resource, and refine dynamic capabilities theory by demonstrating how leadership-driven routines enable resource reconfiguration in resource-constrained SMEs. By grounding these insights in the South African food and beverage sector, the study offers context-specific guidance for managers and policymakers seeking to strengthen innovation capability and strategic competitiveness in emerging-market SMEs.</p>

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Strategic innovation performance of SMEs in the food and beverage industries of South Africa

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月2日

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  • Justice Maphosa,
  • Masatoshi Hara

摘要

This study examines how leadership shapes strategic innovation performance among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa’s food and beverage sector. Despite their central role in employment and value creation, many SMEs continue to face challenges such as weak innovation culture, limited R&D engagement, and inconsistent leadership practices. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected from 210 SMEs across nine provinces and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). The measurement model demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity (CR = 0.82–0.91; AVE = 0.54–0.68) with strong fit indices (CFI = 0.951, TLI = 0.943, RMSEA = 0.041). Leadership was found to significantly and positively influence both innovation culture (β = 0.47, p < 0.001) and strategic innovation performance (β = 0.39, p < 0.001). Innovation culture also exerted a significant indirect effect, mediating the relationship between leadership and innovation performance (indirect β = 0.28, p < 0.01). The findings extend the resource-based view by identifying innovation culture as a critical intangible resource, and refine dynamic capabilities theory by demonstrating how leadership-driven routines enable resource reconfiguration in resource-constrained SMEs. By grounding these insights in the South African food and beverage sector, the study offers context-specific guidance for managers and policymakers seeking to strengthen innovation capability and strategic competitiveness in emerging-market SMEs.