Relative institutional maturity of export markets and export performance: The moderating roles of managerial capabilities and export intensity

This study adopts an organizational learning perspective and a portfolio-level analysis to investigate how exporters from a post-transition economy strategically balance explorative and exploitative learning in their export activities. We analyze a dataset of 500 exporting firms from Poland, a post-transition economy by using regression analyses. This research aims to explore how export portfolio choices affect performance, and what is the moderating role of firm capabilities and export intensity for this performance effect. For firms with limited capabilities, focusing on similarly developed markets may yield better performance outcomes, contrary to conventional wisdom from the learning by exporting research. Pursuing advanced markets can enhance capabilities but may negatively impact short-term results. This study contributes to the literature on export performance by adopting a portfolio-level analysis and an organizational learning perspective. It offers a novel perspective on how firms from post-transition economies strategically choose and balance their export markets.