Title: Exploring the impact of intellectual capital on organisational performance and agility: insights from Romanian SMEs

Authors: Mădălina-Elena Stratone

Addresses: Faculty of Management, National School of Political Science and Public Administration, Bucharest, 012104, Romania

Abstract: In today's fast-changing and highly competitive environment, Romanian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must rely on their intellectual capital to remain agile and improve performance. This study explores how human, structural, and relational capital contribute to organisational agility and performance, based on qualitative research involving semi-structured interviews with 10 SME managers from various industries. The study emphasises how strong stakeholder relationships, effective internal processes, and ongoing employee development work together to promote innovation and adaptability using content analysis techniques and Atlas.ti software. According to the findings, human capital fosters adaptability and creativity, structural capital facilitates digital transformation and operational efficiency, and relational capital improves teamwork and responsiveness to market shifts. The results provide managers with useful insights and pave the way for further research in particular fields, highlighting the significance of managing intellectual capital as a strategic resource for SME growth and resilience.

Keywords: intellectual capital; human capital; structural capital; relational capital; small and medium-sized organisations; organisational performance; agility; employee performance; training; decision-making; team performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMABS.2026.155331

International Journal of Markets and Business Systems, 2026 Vol.7 No.2, pp.97 - 120

Received: 02 Aug 2025
Accepted: 27 Oct 2025
Published online: 30 Jul 2026 *

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