Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 25, No. 3, 2015 331 Copyright © 2015 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Mapping micro small and medium enterprises from the resource-based view and dynamic capability theory perspectives and innovation classification Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya* and Sumi Jha National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Vihar Lake Road, Mumbai, PIN-400087, India Fax: 022-28573251 Email: somdata@gmail.com Email: sumijha05@gmail.com *Corresponding author Abstract: The concept of resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities theory (DCT) and its role in generation of competitive advantage (CA) and securing sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) had been endorsed in literature. In this research, the authors have analysed and mapped Indian MSMEs from the RBV and DCT perspectives for understanding their position for innovation, cluster functionality and cluster activities. Qualitative research was carried by in-depth interview personally administered with MSME owners and senior managers. The data collected was thematically content analysed. The findings of the study reflected on the type of RENT innovation done by Indian MSMEs, state of the MSME cluster layer and its activity types. Further, this research also classified the MSME firms from a RBV typology. This study was carried out in central India. This research confirmed the theoretical footprints of presence of three cluster layers, six collaborative activities, RBV and DCV and kind of RENT innovation. Keywords: dynamic capabilities; resource-based view; RBV; innovation typology; micro small and medium enterprises; MSMEs. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Bhattacharyya, S.S. and Jha, S. (2015) ‘Mapping micro small and medium enterprises from the resource-based view and dynamic capability theory perspectives and innovation classification’, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp.331–350. Biographical notes: Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya is a faculty of strategic management at the National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai, India. He has research interest in strategic management, international business strategy and corporate social responsibility. Sumi Jha is a faculty of human resource management and organisational behaviour at the National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai, India. Her areas of interest are change management, competency management, employee empowerment and leadership. This paper is a revised and expanded version of a paper entitled ‘Exploring MSME technological innovation from the resource based view and dynamic capability theory perspectives’ presented at the Golden Jubilee Socially Relevant Project, National Institute of Industrial Engineering, (NITIE), Mumbai, India, 15 June 2014.