Business Culture in SMEs in the Municipality of Tamazula de Gordiano, Jalisco (Mexico)

Abstract

Objective: to examine the business culture of small and medium-sized companies in the municipality of Tamazula de Gordiano, Mexico. Methodology: the research was carried out with a quantitative approach and the method was quasi-experimental, transectional and exploratory. It was quasi experimental because it was carried out without manipulating variables and was based on the community of SMEs from the municipality of Tamazula de Gordiano; exploratory transectional, because the concept of exploratory and organizational culture began to be understood, which is applied to research, problems that are little studied in said community. Surveys were applied to the managers or owners of 35 small and medium-sized private sector companies (SMEs), using the "business diagnosis" questionnaire as an instrument, developed by the Institute for Development and Innovation in Technology for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (IDITpyme), from the University of Guadalajara, considering the area of business culture. Results: the business culture of SMEs in Tamazula de Gordiano does not distinguish or separate the capital of the company from family assets; only a minority has an organizational philosophy defined and known by its members. Most managers or owners consider strategic alliances of little or no importance to the achievement of organizational objectives and are reactive in the face of possible external threats. Considering the characteristics described above, it is inferred that the business culture of SMEs, according to the Robbins classification, is weak. The business culture that characterizes SMEs, the object of the study, implies a lower performance, which places them at a disadvantage compared to large companies that have a strong culture and, furthermore, puts them at serious risk of remaining vulnerable in the face of an increasingly complex, changing and competitive local and national economic situation. Conclusions: It is concluded that this weak business culture is similar in SMEs in the different municipalities of Mexico and other Latin American countrie