The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanisms and strategies used by international SMEs to respond to crises. It specifically examines how international SMEs leverage dynamic capabilities for digital transformation and assesses whether they possess higher-order dynamic capabilities when facing rapid and unexpected international environmental changes. Utilizing a qualitative approach grounded in case studies of eight managers from China who experienced accelerated or initiated digital transformation plans during the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that dynamic capabilities based on digital technologies are continuously strengthened and refined during the crisis, evolving into second-order dynamic capabilities—namely, agility—thereby facilitating more effective crisis management. We also reveal these capabilities' different focal points and forms at various crisis stages—namely, preventive and proactive, innovative and flexible, and reflective and strategic. This research contributes by offering a new theoretical framework that links digital technology with organizational agility in international SMEs, emphasizing the evolution of dynamic capabilities throughout crises. It also offers suggestions on how managers can effectively guide digital transformation processes and manage crises to enhance agility and resilience for sustainable development.

Recent global events have brought attention to significant challenges across social, economic, political, and environmental dimensions. Health and war crises have sparked extensive discussions within the business community on navigating uncertainty and volatility. In response, businesses are increasingly emphasizing the need for strategic agility to adapt swiftly to dynamic market conditions, particularly crucial in competitive international markets. Effective adaptation requires organizational structures that integrate diverse perspectives to interpret global trends and respond proactively. Embracing an international perspective enables companies to align their strategies with the varied needs of global markets. International New Ventures (INVs) exemplify this by leveraging their agility to innovate continuously and sustain competitiveness amidst disruptions. This study examines how strategic agility and international vision contribute to firm performance. Using structural equation modelling on 289 Portuguese new ventures, it explores their impact on international business model adaptation and international performance. The findings enrich theoretical understanding of organizational dynamics and offer practical insights for optimizing strategies in dynamic global environments.

Recognizing the critical role organizational culture plays in preparing a company's responsiveness to daily changes, this research aims to elucidate how different cultural attributes and organizational agility influence the internationalization process. Using the Competing Values Framework (CVF), which categorizes organizational culture into Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy types, we examine the direct and mediated effects of these cultural types on company agility and international expansion.

Data from internationalized companies was collected with a focus on their organizational culture, agility, and internationalization specifics, and analysed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to validate measurement models and test hypotheses, and complemented by Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) to identify essential cultural and agility conditions for successful internationalization.

Findings indicate that there is no direct or indirect impact of cultures on organizational agility and internationalization. However, in the NCA model, it is possible to see that a certain level of agility, a certain level of each of the cultures and motivations to internationalize lead to the success of Internationalization.

This study contributes to the understanding of the role of organizational culture and organizational agility in the internationalization of companies, offering insights for companies that aim to prosper in a globally dynamic environment.

In this paper we analyse the role that business model innovation (BMI) plays in the relationship between the dynamic capabilities of redundancy and agility with the level of international presence of firms, measured by their degree of internationalisation (DOI). For this purpose, a sample of 179 organisations belonging to the Spanish food and beverage (F&B) industry was used. Applying the PLS-SEM methodology, the results show the importance of BMI as an element for channelling the existing positive effects of redundancy and agility on the level of international presence. As a consequence, this work demonstrates the need for companies not only to develop a wide and varied set of resources, both tangible and intangible, but also to carry out the necessary actions to design and implement business models that move away from the usual proposals in the sector, as their notorious influence on international expansion has been proven.