Background: Literature is replete with evidence on the impact of managerial competencies on firm performance. Yet, there is minimal evidence on how managerial conceptual competencies in particular, affect the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Zimbabwe.Aim: The current study was meant to find the impact of managerial conceptual competencies on the performance of SMEs in Zimbabwe’s Harare Province.Setting: The under-exploration of the relationship between managerial conceptual competencies and SME performance, in an economy that at present is highly informalised, provides a platform for further exploration of this phenomenon.Methods: The study adopted a purely quantitative approach that employed a structured direct survey design.Results: The study established that owners and/or managers had reasonable levels of conceptual competencies and that SMEs performed fairly well in terms of both innovation and return on investment (ROI). It was found out that statistically significant relationships existed between managerial conceptual competencies and SME performance when measured by innovation and ROI.Conclusion: In view of the results, it can be concluded that the performance of SMEs in terms of innovation and ROI can be influenced, to some extent, by owner and/or managers’ conceptual competencies.

Orientation: Research on managerial political competencies has progressed well in other organisational setups; but not so much in entrepreneurial ventures, yet literature documents the pivotal role played by political competencies in the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Research Purpose: This study intended to find the impact of managerial political competencies on the performance of SMEs as measured by both innovation and return on investment (ROI) in SMEs in the Gauteng Province of South Africa.Motivation for the study: Regardless of the contribution done by SMEs in contemporary economies, and the fundamental role managerial political competencies play in sustaining these enterprises, no known study has been done among SMEs in South Africa.Research design, approach and method: The study employed an ex post facto correlational design that adopted a purely quantitative approach. The sample comprised of 211 owner/managers in Gauteng Province. Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation were used for data analysis.Main findings: Owner/managers were found to be politically competent in the dimensions of social astuteness and networking abilities, but fared not so well on the apparent sincerity and interpersonal influence dimensions. It was also established that SMEs performed relatively better in terms of innovation compared to   ROI, although ROI had greater potential to respond to improvements in  the quality of managerial political competencies when compared to innovation . There was a statistically significant relationship between managerial political competencies and SME performance as measured by innovation and ROI.Practical/managerial implications: It is recommended that managerial political competencies be augmented internally through deliberate human resource development initiatives in order to leverage on them. It is also recommended that support structures and agencies that assist owner/managers in competency development be augmented at both provincial and government levels.Contribution/Value-add: The study attempts to fill the gap between research and practice regarding managerial political competencies in SMEs in South Africa.

Orientation: Regardless of the contribution done by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in modern economies, and the critical role managerial interpersonal competencies play in sustaining these enterprises, no known comparative study has been conducted in SMEs in developing economies.Research purpose: This study purposed to establish the impact of managerial interpersonal competencies on SME performance as measured by innovation and return on investment (ROI) in both family-owned SMEs (FOSMEs) and non-family-owned SMEs (NFOSMEs) in Zimbabwe and South Africa.Motivations for the study: Efforts at understanding managerial competencies and firm performance among SMEs have taken a holistic approach, using all known managerial competencies; yet, recently, there is acknowledgement that interpersonal competencies are more effective in business sustainability than other competencies. With this observation, the need to extent this finding in other contexts among FOSMEs and NFOSMEs in developing countries becomes apparent.Research approach/design and method: The study whose design was a descriptive comparative case study adopted a quantitative approach.Main findings: The study found a positive and significant relationship between managerial interpersonal competencies and firm performance as measured by innovation and ROI in FOSMEs in both countries.Practical/managerial implications: NFOSMEs may need to focus their training on interpersonal competencies for managers in order to be sustainable. For FOSMEs, continuous enhancement of managerial interpersonal competencies is important as it promotes innovation and business sustainability.Contribution/value-add: The study helps fill the lacuna between research and practice with respect to managerial interpersonal competencies in FOSMEs and NFOSMEs in the two countries.