Abstract
Although small and medium enterprises (SME) from one country have dependencies on state sponsored export promotion organizations (EPO) for internationalization, EPOs are limited by bureaucracy and protocols to offer adequate support beyond a few generalized ones. Extant research on EPOs contribution in SME internationalization remains inconclusive. We examine how an EPO can identify and address performance challenges through a longitudinal study of the French Embassy’s Trade Mission in Kazakhstan. Our analysis reveals how the French EPO navigated the challenge of cultural distance and structural rigidity through a strategy process of organizational transformation with dual embedding, negotiated reformulating and creative combining as constituents. The recursive process led to refining services toward improved SME internationalization. Our study extends EPO research to corporate entrepreneurship and strategy process.