Transformational Leadership, Organizational Maturity, and Business Survival in SMEs in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico
Description
This dataset contains quantitative data collected via a structured questionnaire administered to 115 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, with at least three years of continuous operation, from the trade, manufacturing, and services sectors. Data collection took place between September 2025 and January 2026, combining an online survey and in-person application. The instrument measured three constructs: (1) transformational leadership (9 items, 5-point Likert scale), (2) organizational maturity (9 items, 5-level maturity matrices), and (3) business survival/continuity (9 items, 5-level development matrices). Composite scale scores (construct and dimension means) are also included. Data were originally captured and processed in IBM SPSS Statistics 31. This dataset is part of a doctoral dissertation in Strategic Management of Organizations (DGEO) at Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora (ITSON). A full bilingual (Spanish/English) codebook accompanies the data file, documenting variable names, labels, and value labels, including the complete verbatim wording of all response levels. Data are anonymous; no identifying information from the participating companies or individuals was collected.
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Steps to reproduce
A structured questionnaire was designed with 32 items: 5 general/classification items and 27 items measuring three constructs (transformational leadership, organizational maturity, business survival), each with 9 items. Inclusion criteria: SMEs (small or medium, per Mexican size/employee-count thresholds) in the trade, services, or manufacturing sectors, located in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, with at least 3 years of continuous operation. Data collection combined an online survey (built in Typeform, hosted at mejorandomiempresa.com) and in-person administration of printed questionnaires, using a non-probability convenience sample. Companies were contacted through the national business registry (DENUE, INEGI 2024), local business associations, and direct field visits. Fieldwork was conducted between September 2025 and January 2026. A total of 124 questionnaires were collected. Responses were screened and cases were excluded if the company did not meet the 3-year operation criterion, or if responses showed inconsistent patterns (e.g., unusually fast completion times, uniform answer selection across all items). The final valid sample was n = 115. Responses were coded numerically (1-5 per item; see codebook) and entered into IBM SPSS Statistics 31. No missing values remain in the final file. Composite scale scores (construct-level and dimension-level means) were computed by averaging the corresponding items, as documented in the accompanying codebook.