The digital China construction and the autonomous transformation of innovation models have brought both opportunities and challenges to SMEs. Investigating how digital transformation and innovation models synergistically enhance SMEs’ innovation performance holds significant importance. Based on the 4A framework and a complex systems perspective， it adopted a dynamic fsQCA approach， and used six-year panel data from 51 SRDI enterprises to explore the interplay among various dimensions of digital transformation and innovation models. It finds that： in digital technology， application， property， talent， environment， independent R&D， and technology introduction， single factor is not a necessary condition， and the necessity of digital property increases with time. Four distinct pathways enhance innovation performance： innovation efficiency driven by digital advantages， independent R&D supported by digital opportunities， collaborative technology introduction through total-factor transformation， and internal and external knowledge management via digital hardware. Further analysis on the four high-innovation performance pathways show that their effects over time are respectively declining， declining， stable， and increasing. The illustrative cases of the four high performance pathways are concentrated in enterprises at different life-cycle stages： decline period， maturity period， growth period and maturity period， and maturity period； and across various strategic emerging industries： energy conservation and environmental protection， new generation of information technology， new energy vehicles and new generation of information technology， new energy vehicle industry. Both only emphasizing independent R&D and valuing technology introduction while neglecting integration reduce innovation performance. It extends the research on SME innovation pathways， offering insights for SMEs with varying resource endowments to develop targeted digital and innovation strategies.