Digital Transformation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Challenges, Strategies, and Outcomes

Resumen

Digital transformation (DT) represents one of the most significant strategic imperatives for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the twenty-first century. This study examines the adoption patterns, implementation barriers, and organizational outcomes associated with digital transformation processes in 350 SMEs operating across diverse sectors in Ecuador between December 2025 and January 2026. Employing a mixed-methods design combining structured content analysis (κ = 0.84) and eight in-depth expert interviews, findings reveal that 72.3% of the sampled firms rely primarily on institutional press releases as their principal source of digital strategy guidance, while only 18.6% demonstrated engagement with two or more independent information sources. A mere 11.4% exhibited investigative depth in digital adoption. Compliance with Ecuador's Organic Communication Law (LOC) benchmarks reached only 25.3% globally, with equity at 15.4%, precision at 32.6%, and public-interest orientation at 28.0%. Chi-square analysis confirmed significant associations between source diversity and compliance levels (χ² = 58.93; p < .001). Drawing on Agenda Setting Theory (McCombs & Shaw, 1972) and functionalist communication frameworks (Lasswell, 1948; McQuail, 2010), this paper argues that SMEs function primarily as passive information consumers rather than autonomous digital agents. A structured digital-style manual is proposed as a practical intervention to bridge institutional capability gaps.