TY - GEN
T1 - Towards a Digital Maturity Model for Rural SMEs
T2 - 24th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education and Technology, LACCEI 2026
AU - Esquivel-Vega, Gaudy
AU - Alfaro-Velasco, Jorge
AU - Garita, Cesar
AU - López-Valerio, Cynthia
AU - Méndez-Porras, Abel
AU - Campos-Agüero, Cristian
AU - Carlos Miranda-Fajardo, Jean
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions. All rights reserved.
PY - 2026
Y1 - 2026
N2 - Rural SMEs face distinct barriers in digital transformation: infrastructure gaps, cultural constraints, and limited technology access. This paper presents a Digital Maturity Model tailored to these realities, grounded in the TOE framework. The model introduces a hierarchical weighting system with Celerity weights (strategic priorities) and Control parameters (environmental constraints), assessed across five maturity levels with actionable descriptors. An Empathy Map workshop approach ensures human-centered evaluation. The model was refined through a pilot with 11 SMEs in Costa Rica's North Zone, demonstrating its practical applicability and providing formative insights for instrument improvement. The contribution is both practical-offering a diagnostic tool for rural digitalization-and theoretical-advancing context-aware maturity assessment for underserved business environments.
AB - Rural SMEs face distinct barriers in digital transformation: infrastructure gaps, cultural constraints, and limited technology access. This paper presents a Digital Maturity Model tailored to these realities, grounded in the TOE framework. The model introduces a hierarchical weighting system with Celerity weights (strategic priorities) and Control parameters (environmental constraints), assessed across five maturity levels with actionable descriptors. An Empathy Map workshop approach ensures human-centered evaluation. The model was refined through a pilot with 11 SMEs in Costa Rica's North Zone, demonstrating its practical applicability and providing formative insights for instrument improvement. The contribution is both practical-offering a diagnostic tool for rural digitalization-and theoretical-advancing context-aware maturity assessment for underserved business environments.
KW - digital maturity
KW - digital transformation
KW - Rural SMEs
KW - technology adoption
KW - TOE framework
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105048849847
U2 - 10.18687/LACCEI2026.1.1.692
DO - 10.18687/LACCEI2026.1.1.692
M3 - Contribución a la conferencia
AN - SCOPUS:105048849847
T3 - Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology
BT - Proceedings of the 24th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education and Technology - Engineering without Borders
A2 - Petrie, Maria M. Larrondo
A2 - Texier, Jose
A2 - Matta, Rodolfo Andres Rivas
PB - Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions
Y2 - 16 June 2026 through 18 June 2026
ER -