Rapid growth and urbanizing populations are transforming Africa, despite environmental turbulence, uncertainty and relational complexity. Research highlights how small firms rely upon trust-based buyer-supplier relationships in such contexts. Our study adopts a micro-foundational perspective and builds on dynamic capabilities literature and psychological trust theory. Our conceptual model shows how relational dimensions (i.e. communication, social bonds, and knowledge), influenced by meta-capabilities (strategic sensitivity, resource fluidity and leadership unity) embedded in micro-foundational activities build trust in small business cross-border buyer-seller relationships to support dynamic relational capability and enhance strategic agility in transitional economies.

尽管环境动荡，不确定性和关系复杂，但快速增长和人口城市化正在改变着非洲。研究强调了在这种情况下小公司如何依赖基于信任的买卖关系。我们的研究采用微观基础观点，并基于动态能力文献和心理信任理论。我们的概念模型显示了微观基础活动中嵌入的元能力（战略敏感性，资源流动性和领导统一性）影响下的关系维度（即沟通，社会纽带和知识）如何建立对小企业跨境买卖者的信任关系以支持动态关系能力并增强转型经济体的战略敏捷性。