Share to survive: knowledge sharing as a gateway towards resilience and competitive advantage

Purpose Based on organizational information processing theory (OIPT), this study explores the potential role of relational capital (RC) in building organizational resilience (OR) and competitive advantage (CA) through knowledge sharing (KS) as a gateway. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 348 managers of Egyptian food and beverage SMEs. The data were analyzed using partial least square–structural equation modeling with SMART-PLS3. Findings The findings reveal that there is a significant effect of RC on CA both directly and indirectly via the serial mediation of KS and OR. Research limitations/implications The sample size was small, which included only Egyptian food and beverage SMEs. Therefore, the results may differ in other sectors and in other countries. The study was cross-sectional that was restricted to trace long-term effects of RC, KS and OR on CA. Therefore, a longitudinal study may be beneficial. Practical implications The manufacturer should seek to utilize different sources of knowledge to promote their OR and CAs. When manufacturers have limited resources and should prioritize KS efforts, our findings suggest that reinforcing internal KS should be a priority to promote OR and CA. The manufacturer, therefore can promote data integration and real-time information exchange among internal functions to facilitate reconfiguration within the focal firm and with the external business partners to ward changes. Originality/value This study is the first to provide an integrative model that shows the relationships between RC, OR and CA through KS.