In a situation where the economy is in a systemic crisis, it is imperative to conduct analyses of assumptions and paradigms adopted in the economic thought, which may contribute to the implementation of principles of anti-crisis management by minimizing the potentially negative consequences for the company. Certainly, such a possibility is not created by a neo-liberal model of capitalism as opposed to institutional economics. Entrepreneurs face a number of specific barriers resulting from the operating conditions during an economic crisis, which is threatening small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) but also creates opportunities to change management approaches (crisis management). For the SME sector in crisis conditions, the chance of survival and development can come from the implementation of a competitive cooperation strategy based on social capital. Forms of cooperation that improve the competitiveness of business units are clusters.