Building Business Resilience in Small Economies: Lessons from SMEs in the United Kingdom

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a central role in the United Kingdom’s economic structure, yet they remain particularly vulnerable to systemic shocks such as pandemics, economic restructuring, and supply chain disruptions. Recent crises, including COVID-19 and post-Brexit adjustments, have highlighted the uneven capacity of SMEs to absorb, adapt to, and recover from turbulence. This study examines how UK SMEs build business resilience by analysing the combined influence of internal organisational capabilities and external institutional support mechanisms. Drawing on Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities Theory, and Institutional Theory, the research adopts a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected through a structured survey of 400 UK SMEs and analysed using regression and structural equation modelling, while qualitative insights were generated from in-depth case studies with SME owners, financial institutions, and business support organisations. The findings reveal that leadership agility, digital readiness, and financial management capabilities are significant predictors of resilience outcomes. External factors, including government support schemes, access to finance, and business networks, were found to moderate and strengthen the effects of internal capabilities rather than substitute for them. The study contributes a multi-level model of SME resilience that integrates firm-level and institutional dimensions and offers evidence-based implications for policymakers and practitioners seeking to enhance SME sustainability in turbulent economic environments.