| Abstract [eng] |
68 pages, 6 charts, 18 pictures, 125 references The main objective of this master's thesis is to determine how the organizational learning process from successes and failures in overcoming internationalization barriers in Lithuanian SMEs takes place. The thesis is divided into three main parts. Drawing on scientific literature, the first part defines the internationalization process, identifies barriers to internationalization, and outlines the characteristics of organizational learning from both successes and failures. The second part presents the research methodology employed to determine how Lithuanian SMEs engage in organizational learning from successes and failures in overcoming internationalization barriers. Based on an analysis of prior studies on internationalization and organizational learning, a qualitative research approach was selected, utilizing the Gioia method for inductive data analysis. A semi-structured interview questionnaire was developed in line with previous studies, and data were collected through interviews with seven Lithuanian SME managers and/or (co-)owners. Data collection was concluded upon reaching theoretical saturation. The third part of the thesis presents the study's results, evaluates the findings, and provides recommendations for SMEs. The study identified that the main barriers to the internationalization of Lithuanian SMEs are commercial, regulatory, and cultural dimensions. Before activating the organizational learning mechanism, Lithuanian SMEs establish key performance indicators, which are subsequently used to determine whether efforts to overcome internationalization barriers were successful or not. An integrated control system continuously interacts with these key performance indicators. Upon identifying successes or failures, SMEs activate mechanisms for adaptive learning. In the case of learning from successes, the primary goal of Lithuanian SMEs is to replicate successful practices in other markets or internal processes. In the case of learning from failures, the aim is to take rapid and adaptive action to transform failure into success and/or eliminate the factors that contributed to the failure. Having gone through the mechanisms of adaptive learning from successes and failures, Lithuanian SMEs seek to evolve their organizational processes. To ensure that acquired knowledge remains at the organizational level rather than with individual employees, they implement a standardized organizational understanding. Finally, prior to further internationalization and the inevitable encounter with new barriers, motivation strategies are developed. Based on the identification of how Lithuanian SMEs learn from their successes and failures in overcoming internationalization barriers, an inductive model of this process was developed, and recommendations for small and medium-sized enterprises were formulated accordingly. The conclusions and proposals summarize the key theoretical aspects of internationalization and organizational learning, present the results of the qualitative study, and offer directions for future research. The author believes that the inductive model presented in the study, together with recommendations for SMEs, provides an opportunity to streamline organizational learning from both successes and failures and increase the speed of overcoming barriers to internationalization. |
