Rethinking the small business. A critical perspective from Organizational Studies

Abstract

The dominant discourse in the study of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has conceptualized them as economic entities, focused on performance, efficiency, and growth. This approach has been based on explanatory frameworks from developed economies, which has limited their understanding and categorized them as either efficient or dysfunctional, without considering their local contexts. This discourse ignores the economic, social, political, and cultural factors surrounding MSMEs in peripheral regions, especially in Latin America, where they face poverty, inequality, and dysfunctional political systems. The predominant view of free competition and expansion does not reflect the reality of many of these businesses, which struggle to survive and, in many cases, face stagnation or failure. This chapter proposes a critical reflection from the perspective of Organizational Studies, questioning the use of the concept of "business" from a traditional economic rationality. The objective is to build new theoretical and empirical frameworks that consider the complex nature of MSMEs in marginal contexts, recognizing their true environment and offering an interpretation more aligned with their realities. This will enable a deeper analysis of concepts such as entrepreneurship, self-employment, and microenterprise.