Intellectual capital as a driving force of internationalization: a case of Lithuanian SMEs

Constantly changing technologies, increasing competition, unstable demand of consumers, economic and political changes encourage managers to seek new opportunities abroad and thus, expand their firms’ activities. Considering the importance of knowledge in a number of industries, competition is shaped by the firms’ intellectual capital. Referring to the intellectual capital theory, the assumption about the importance of intellectual resources in internationalization process is suggested. Grounded on intellectual capital theory and the main aspects of SMEs internationalization the paper aims to reveal the significance of some important factors in internationalization of Lithuanian SMEs. The study is based on expert evaluation method and reports the findings from questioning the representatives of science and business. The internationalization of SMEs is driven by work experience of employees, ability to transmit experience and international orientation of managers. These factors contribute to the development of technical knowledge and strategy development processes. Consequently, obtained technical expertise and strategies lead to the higher reputation of managers in international context. The findings are significant for entrepreneurs having strong intentions to expand their businesses and policy makers, concerning about promotion and support of internationalization processes. The insights into the development of future investigations are suggested.