Abstract
This study is to examine the roles of bricolage and social capital in the development of small businesses' dynamic capabilities. A comparison study was also conducted to determine the function of the gender composition of management. Based on the upper echelons theory, this study constructs research models reflecting the roles of bricolage and social capital of management teams in the dynamic capabilities of small businesses. These models will be compared across firms with diverse gender compositions of management teams in order to illustrate how dynamic capacities of small businesses develop in different contexts. Based upon a sample of 274 small businesses in the United Kingdom, structural equation modelling and multigroup path analysis were utilised to test the hypothesised model. The findings reveal that the social capital of management teams has a strong beneficial effect on the dynamic capabilities of small businesses. There is a significant favourable effect of management teams’ bricolage on the dynamic capabilities of small businesses. The social capital of management teams has a strong positive effect on the bricolage of management teams. By exploiting social capital and utilising existing resources, a management team is likely to boost the dynamic capacities of their small business, although this differs depending on the gender composition of the management teams. This study contributes to the dynamic capability literature and clarify the roles of social capital and bricolage in the development of dynamic capabilities within small businesses led by various gender composition management teams.