Information and Communication Technologies and Innovation in MSMEs in Colombia

Abstract

This work shares the results of a research conducted in Colombia to empirically determine the impact on innovation of the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) regarding the use of information and communication technologies (ICT); this required consulting 1201 directors from these types of organizations on their use of eight ICT tools and practices and on the evolution of their innovative performance in goods and/or services, processes, management and at the global level. The descriptive results show that the degree of use of ICT in Colombian MSMEs is barely acceptable, and the correlational results obtained through multiple linear regressions, that the use of ICT impacts positively on the types of innovation analyzed, except for productive processes. These findings are greatly useful for entrepreneurs, academia, and entities that promote knowledge and development of MSMEs, given that they permit testing the importance of continuing with the promotion of programs to encourage the use of ICT within them, as means to reach the innovation that improves their competitive level.