Work

Invisible Scaling and Resource Efficiency: Decoupling Market Reach From Organizational Growth in Digital Small and Medium Enterprises

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT This study introduces invisible scaling, a digitally mediated growth configuration in which entrepreneurial firms expand market reach without proportionate growth in internal employment and organizational infrastructure. Using an exploratory secondary‐data design, it examines 24 purposively selected digital SMEs across four countries and sectors. The analysis identifies variation in reach‐size decoupling and suggests two preliminary configurations: platform‐automated firms relying mainly on digital infrastructure and algorithmic market access, and partner‐orchestrated firms coordinating broader networks of external providers. An organizational decoupling index provides a preliminary representation of market reach relative to internal employment, although the study does not establish causality or the prevalence of the phenomenon. The findings distinguish invisible scaling from its possible mechanisms and show why organizational leanness should not be treated as environmental performance. As energy use, emissions, materials, logistics, and external labor are not measured directly, the environmental implications remain exploratory and concern the appropriate boundary of assessment.

Source: Business Strategy and the Environment

DOI: 10.1002/bse.71624

Authors: Rabia Salman, Rana Mohsin Ali, Muhammad Salman Shabbir

Institutions: York St John University, Newman University

Language: English

Topic: Business Strategies and Innovation

Subfield: Strategy and Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W7214537366