Abstract:

Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the backbone of the country's economy, face many obstacles to remain sustainable. They need to overcome the competitive challenges particularly through continuous innovation that can be gained through strategic entrepreneurship approach. Nevertheless, the implementation of strategic entrepreneurship requires sufficient resources to balance the paradoxical actions between opportunity-seeking and advantage-seeking simultaneously. SMEs, typically in a resource-constraint environment, struggle to implement strategic entrepreneurship unless they can leverage their abundance and inexpensive tacit knowledge resources accordingly. Henceforth, this research aims to explore how Malaysian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) SMEs can leverage their tacit knowledge resources to effectively practice strategic entrepreneurship. Case studies were adopted and samples were chosen from three ICT SMEs within Klang Valley in Malaysia that have been in operation for more than five years as a sign of sustainability. ICT SMEs are chosen due to the added value of continuous innovation in this sector particularly improvement in products, services, processes, business structures, and models. Data was analysed using the cross-case thematic analysis method. This study found that tacit knowledge resources play a pivotal role in enhancing strategic entrepreneurship capabilities and subsequently driving innovation. By leveraging tacit knowledge such as experience, know-how, and expertise to balance opportunity-seeking and advantage-seeking, SMEs can navigate the complex landscape of the industry with agility and resilience.