Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role for the economic development of most countries, particularly in developing economies such as Kuwait. There are, however, challenges and problems that have to be addressed in an effort to achieve a better performance and ensure longer-term success. In the pursuit of entrepreneurial leadership (EL), SMEs frequently adopt total quality management (TQM) practices as their key strategies to enhance their competitive advantage. However, there is a dearth of studies that investigate the relationship of these concepts with the performance SMEs in developing countries. This paper seeks to examine the association between determinants of organizational performance, such as entrepreneurial leadership (EL) and TQM practices, of Kuwait's SMEs. This study uses a quantitative method. A survey questionnaire is administered to collect data from 500 SME owners and CEOs in Kuwait, and 384 are found to be usable. The outcomes of this study show beneficial and considerable influence of entrepreneurial leadership and TQM practices on organizational performance. The association of entrepreneurial leadership with organizational performance of SMEs is fundamentally mediated by TQM practices.

Kuwait’s SMEs contribute to the economic growth of the country by creating productive jobs for Kuwaiti youth and professionals and improving income diversification. SMEs in Kuwait are faced with numerous challenges and these problems must be addressed to achieve and ensure longer-term success and better performance. This paper seeks to examine the relationship between the determinants of organizational performance such as entrepreneurial leadership (EL), learning orientation (LO), and innovation capacity (IC) of Kuwaiti's Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The study used a quantitative method. A survey questionnaire was administered to gather the data, where the useable data was obtained from 384 of the 500 SME owners and CEOs in Kuwait. The outcomes of this study indicate that entrepreneurial leadership and learning orientation had positive and significant implication on organizational performance. Moreover, the innovation capacity is also found to be a significant mediator in the relationships.