Entrepreneurial Orientation and Organizational Flexibility of Small and Medium-Size Enterprises in a Pandemic Crisis

Małgorzata Okręglicka, Anna Lemańska-Majdzik, Maryna Pichugina, Lina Artemenko

The monograph consists of four chapters which constitute a coherent whole. The first chapter “The Specificity of the Activity of the SME Sector” contains quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the SME sector. Initially, the definitions of small and medium-sized enterprises used in Poland on the basis of regulations adopted in the European Union and in Ukraine are presented. The quantitative structure of the SME sector in both countries and changes in the number of active enterprises in individual size groups in recent years are also presented. The next point indicates the economic and social role of the SME sector in Poland and Ukraine. The role of SMEs in building an innovative economy was also emphasized. The last point of the first chapter discusses the specificity of managing small and medium-sized enterprises compared to large economic entities, from the point of view of the effectiveness and barriers of the management process, as well as the creation of effective management tools. The second chapter titled “Entrepreneurial Orientation of Small and Mediumsized Enterprises” provides a comprehensive discussion of the construct of entrepreneurial orientation of an organization. In the first section, the subject is located in the area of knowledge – organizational entrepreneurship, and more broadly in management sciences. Then, the definitions of entrepreneurial orientation are introduced and compared, taking into account the multidimensionality of the construct. The individual dimensions in the 5-dimensional approach to entrepreneurial orientation have also been characterized, i.e. autonomy, proactivity, risk taking, innovation and competitive aggressiveness. The last part of the second chapter relates to a specific approach, opportunities and threats to the functioning of entrepreneurial orientation in small and medium-sized enterprises. The third chapter “Organizational Flexibility in the Activities of Enterprises” reflects the multifaceted approach to the flexible functioning of modern enterprises. After introducing the necessary definitions of organizational flexibility, along with its specific features and the results of its implementation in the enterprise, the authors characterized the individual dimensions of organizational flexibility, indicating that it is not a uniform construct. Due to the fact that the monograph focuses on management problems of small and medium-sized enterprises, the last part of the chapter presents considerations on the specific conditions of flexible functioning of this group of enterprises. The fourth chapter titled “Case study in the Sector of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises” presents a discussion of the results of qualitative own research. The research in the form of an in-depth interview was conducted in eight enterprises, including four small and four medium-sized enterprises. The research was international in nature, i.e. half of the surveyed entities are companies operating in Poland, and the remaining companies are based in Ukraine. Such a research approach allowed for the observation of differences in the approach to entrepreneurial orientation and organizational flexibility of enterprises in countries with different socio-economic development. The method and scope of the conducted research have been discussed in detail in the research methodology. The last part of the chapter is a summary of the results of qualitative research, indicating the observed regularities, limitations along with potential solutions for a more effective functioning of small and medium-sized enterprises. The monograph is supplemented with an introduction and an ending, summarizing the authors’ scientific considerations, and bibliography.