Innovación como herramienta de mejora en la dirección de emprendimientos asociativos en el cantón El Triunfo

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between innovation and improvements in the management of associative enterprises in the El Triunfo Canton. The study employed a quantitative approach with a descriptive and correlational scope, using a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. The population consisted of all legal representatives and managers of active organizations registered with the Superintendency of Popular and Solidarity Economy (N = 32). A structured questionnaire with 20 Likert-scale items was administered for data collection. The reliability of the instrument was validated using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, yielding a value of 0.985 (p < 0.001). The Shapiro–Wilk normality test indicated a non-parametric distribution (p < 0.001); therefore, Spearman’s rho coefficient was used for inferential analysis. The results demonstrated a moderate positive correlation between innovation and management improvement (ρ = 0.568; p = 0.001), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. At the descriptive level, process innovation had the greatest perceived impact (56.3%), although limitations related to operational inefficiency (21.9%) and difficulties in incorporating new products (31.2%) were identified. It is concluded that the adoption of innovative practices is significantly associated with higher levels of managerial efficiency, strengthened strategic decision-making, and improved organizational management in associative enterprises in the El Triunfo Canton.