Un Marco Organizacional para Microempresas Enfrentando Choques Exógenos: Un Enfoque de Sistema Viable.
Date Issued
2025
Author(s)
Suarez Ambriz, Denny
Advisor(s)
Sánchez Garcia, Jacqueline Y.
Type
text::thesis::doctoral thesis
Abstract
This study addresses the problem of limited adaptive capacity in microenterprises, a
phenomenon that contributes to the failure of 50% of new businesses during their first five
years of operation. Unfortunately, organizational impacts are magnified by factors such
as lack of working capital, deficient financial management, inadequate business
education, regulatory capture and intensified competition due to globalization. This issue
was initially observed in a food service microenterprise located in California’s Salinas
Valley, where patterns of operational fatique, high staff turnover, service quality
fluctuations and insufficient capacity to respond to seasonal demand variations were
identified.
This thesis is composed of five fundamental chapters. The first chapter examined the
global context of microenterprises and their economic significance, as they represent a
relevant sector for economic development. The second chapter addressed the theoretical
framework, beginning with an examination of classical organizational theory and
identifying its restricitions in contexts characterized by high dynamics. Subsequently,
bureaucratic theory was reviewed, analyzing its contribution to organizational
formalization while acknowledging its rigidity in the face of new adaptive needs. The
review concluded with general systems theory, which presented an integrative framework
allowing organizations to be conceptualized as open systems, capable of interacting
dynamically with their environment.
The third chapter developed a literature review of studies relating to the Viable System
Model and Entrepreneurial Orientation within the institutionalization process of
microenterprises, indentifying convergences and gaps in the existing literature. The
Viable System Model was selected due to its capacity to analyze organizations as
autonomous and adaptable systems, enabling the identification of internal functions that
7
sustain its viability in contexts of high uncertainty. This review academically justified the
lack of specific models tailored for microenterprises.
The fourth chapter presented an empirical review of cases involving microenterprises led
by immigrant entrepreneurs. Through semi-structured interviews, the focus shifted to
analyzing the Entrepreneurial Orientation components utilized by successful
entreprenerus and how they were incorporated into their business operations. This
analysis provided evidence underscoring the need for organizational structures that not
only occommodate but also enhance entrepreneurial initiatives, establishing the
emprirical base that justified the application of the Viable System Model.
The fifth chapter implemented a Social Network Analysis to examine a bibliometric co-
occurence network of keywords from academic publications, aiming to identify the critical
Entrepreneurial Orientation factors relevant to microenterprises. The factors identified
include innovation, autonomy, control during implementations, market orientation, and
change management, all of which were categorized according to the five functions of the
Viable System Model. The results suggested this conceptual framework strengthens
organizational responsiveness in disruptive environments while promoting internal
cohesion and more informed decisión-making.
To understand how the identified critical factors interact and generate patterns of
organizational strengthening or deterioration, the study employed System Dynamics as
an analytical tool in chapter six. This methodology enabled the modeling of the system’s
causal structure and the simulation of various operational scenarios, incorporating
variables such as fatigue, experience, reputation, customers and revenue. The model
applied evaluated the microenterprise’s performance under five contrasting
configurations, validating the importance of coordination and organizational learning for
the system. The key results showed that organizational viability did not depend on
increased demand, but rather on the presence of internal structures capable of absorbing
external impacts, learning, and maintaining operational consistency.
phenomenon that contributes to the failure of 50% of new businesses during their first five
years of operation. Unfortunately, organizational impacts are magnified by factors such
as lack of working capital, deficient financial management, inadequate business
education, regulatory capture and intensified competition due to globalization. This issue
was initially observed in a food service microenterprise located in California’s Salinas
Valley, where patterns of operational fatique, high staff turnover, service quality
fluctuations and insufficient capacity to respond to seasonal demand variations were
identified.
This thesis is composed of five fundamental chapters. The first chapter examined the
global context of microenterprises and their economic significance, as they represent a
relevant sector for economic development. The second chapter addressed the theoretical
framework, beginning with an examination of classical organizational theory and
identifying its restricitions in contexts characterized by high dynamics. Subsequently,
bureaucratic theory was reviewed, analyzing its contribution to organizational
formalization while acknowledging its rigidity in the face of new adaptive needs. The
review concluded with general systems theory, which presented an integrative framework
allowing organizations to be conceptualized as open systems, capable of interacting
dynamically with their environment.
The third chapter developed a literature review of studies relating to the Viable System
Model and Entrepreneurial Orientation within the institutionalization process of
microenterprises, indentifying convergences and gaps in the existing literature. The
Viable System Model was selected due to its capacity to analyze organizations as
autonomous and adaptable systems, enabling the identification of internal functions that
7
sustain its viability in contexts of high uncertainty. This review academically justified the
lack of specific models tailored for microenterprises.
The fourth chapter presented an empirical review of cases involving microenterprises led
by immigrant entrepreneurs. Through semi-structured interviews, the focus shifted to
analyzing the Entrepreneurial Orientation components utilized by successful
entreprenerus and how they were incorporated into their business operations. This
analysis provided evidence underscoring the need for organizational structures that not
only occommodate but also enhance entrepreneurial initiatives, establishing the
emprirical base that justified the application of the Viable System Model.
The fifth chapter implemented a Social Network Analysis to examine a bibliometric co-
occurence network of keywords from academic publications, aiming to identify the critical
Entrepreneurial Orientation factors relevant to microenterprises. The factors identified
include innovation, autonomy, control during implementations, market orientation, and
change management, all of which were categorized according to the five functions of the
Viable System Model. The results suggested this conceptual framework strengthens
organizational responsiveness in disruptive environments while promoting internal
cohesion and more informed decisión-making.
To understand how the identified critical factors interact and generate patterns of
organizational strengthening or deterioration, the study employed System Dynamics as
an analytical tool in chapter six. This methodology enabled the modeling of the system’s
causal structure and the simulation of various operational scenarios, incorporating
variables such as fatigue, experience, reputation, customers and revenue. The model
applied evaluated the microenterprise’s performance under five contrasting
configurations, validating the importance of coordination and organizational learning for
the system. The key results showed that organizational viability did not depend on
increased demand, but rather on the presence of internal structures capable of absorbing
external impacts, learning, and maintaining operational consistency.
License
Acceso Abierto
URL License
How to cite
Suarez Ambriz, D. (2025). Un Marco Organizacional para Microempresas Enfrentando Choques Exógenos: Un Enfoque de Sistema Viable. (Tesis de Doctorado) Universidad Panamericana.
Table of contents
Capítulo 1. Introducción -- Capítulo 2. Marco Teórico -- Capítulo 3. El Modelo de Sistema Viable y la Orientación Emprendedora en
Microempresas -- Capítulo 4. Factores estratégicos de la Orientación Empresarial en las Pequeñas Empresas Latinoamericanas en Estados Unidos -- Capítulo 5. Marco Organizacional para Microempresas Enfrentar Choques Exógenos: Un Enfoque de Sistema Viable. -- Capitulo 6. Propuesta de mejora basada en Dinámica de Sistemas
Microempresas -- Capítulo 4. Factores estratégicos de la Orientación Empresarial en las Pequeñas Empresas Latinoamericanas en Estados Unidos -- Capítulo 5. Marco Organizacional para Microempresas Enfrentar Choques Exógenos: Un Enfoque de Sistema Viable. -- Capitulo 6. Propuesta de mejora basada en Dinámica de Sistemas