The Evaluation of Technological Competencies among Leaders of the Renewable Energy Industry: The Case of SMEs in Baja California, Mexico

Abstract

This research explores and analyzes the context of the renewable energies industry sector of Baja California, Mexico, regarding the adoption, appropriation, knowledge and usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by focusing on human resources, mainly its business managers and directors, as key actors of strategic plans in terms of research and technological development. For this task, a Technological Competencies Profile (TCP), meant for evaluating the incorporation of ICTs by business leaders, was constructed by reviewing the definition of “technological competency” in 140 publications, and by considering the European e-Competence Framework (e-CF), the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), and other related guidelines. This profile was later applied to analyze 13 SMEs and their leaders’ technological competencies. The investigation was further enriched with the information extracted from 13 interviews made with renewable energy experts in Baja California. The conclusions of this study show that, although SME leaders do have knowledge of ICTs and use them effectively for their own communicative and personal purposes, they do not consider them as a part of their business operation that can optimize their processes and impact its innovative capabilities.

1. Introduction

The adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Mexican industries is as uneven and diverse as the economical inequalities that exist between their companies and their workers’ education [1,2]. In order to see the Mexican industry grow, the human resources of its businesses need to be aware and in favor of constant training, self-education, innovative vision, and attitudes that favor teamwork and collaboration between internal and external disciplinary teams, and that places them as a priority [3,4,5] in the understanding that the main goal is to attract investment and development within the national and international standards of the market [6]. With that in mind, this paper seeks to analyze the current situation regarding the small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) adoption of ICTs in the country of Mexico, specifically in the state of Baja California. An analysis of the current ecosystem of innovation [7] in the region may contribute to the future planning of strategies and objectives that can increment the incorporation of ICTs inside of local businesses.

This research explores and analyzes the context and current situation of the renewable energies industry sector of Baja California, Mexico, regarding the adoption, appropriation, knowledge, and usage of ICTs by focusing on human resources, mainly its business managers and directors, as key actors, articulators, and enablers of strategic plans in terms of research and technological development. For this task, a technological competencies profile, meant for evaluating the incorporation of ICTs by business leaders, was constructed by reviewing the definition of “technological competency” in 140 publications, and by considering the European e-Competence Framework (e-CF), the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), among other guidelines. This profile was later applied to analyze 13 SMEs and their leaders’ technological competencies. The investigation was further enriched with the information extracted from 13 interviews made with renewable energy experts in Baja California. The conclusions of this study show that, although SME leaders do have knowledge of ICTs and use them effectively for their own communicative and personal purposes, they do not consider them as a part of their business operation that can optimize their processes and impact its innovative capabilities.

The incorporation of ICTs in industry and enterprises is crucial for their efficiency, growth, and development. For instance, some benefits of the adoption of ICTs in businesses include: (1) the increment of the efficiency of industrial and business processes through updated and historical information, comparative indicators, collaboration between employees, generation and dissemination of knowledge, as well as monitoring of profits and investments; (2) higher and more efficient communication with suppliers, minimizing delivery times and speeding up operations or the acquisition of supplies; and (3) the possibility of creating and taking advantage of digital tools and strategies such as the integration of client portfolios, reports of many kinds, and communication media [8].

However, most SMEs in Mexico fail to recognize the importance of adopting ICTs as part of their competencies and processes. Throughout their history, the Mexican government and Mexican businesses in general have invested very little in technology [1,2,4], especially when compared with developed countries that have resolved internal problems by accelerating their processes to generate resources and services through technological and innovative projects. The lack of investment in technology hinders its appropriation by human resources and shows, firstly, that Mexican entrepreneurs do not have a clear perception of the opportunities for improvement offered by ICTs in terms of productivity or administrative efficiency; secondly, it points to an even more complex problem, where factors of an economic, social, cultural, and educational nature intervene with human capital that has low-level ICT knowledge and limited access to physical and technological infrastructure. An example of this is the fact that in marginal and vulnerable communities, Internet services and infrastructure have such a minimal bandwidth that investing in ICTs is simply not a priority.

Among the greatest challenges that Mexican SMEs face is the development of a quality culture and a vision for the future by business leaders in order to reduce growth barriers. For instance, a study developed by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) [9] showed that 45% of Mexican executives consider that the contribution of ICTs in the management of their businesses is low, compared with the 15% of executives from most competitive and industrialized countries who think the same thing. A survey performed by Select [4] found that only 26% of Mexican executives that invested in ICTs will continue to invest, while 43% say they will not invest further in technology.

The absence of knowledge, information, and technology management in enterprises leads to little or no business vision. This is why it is important that those who lead SMEs have the ability to recognize, assimilate, transform, apply, and exploit goods and services so they can participate in the market with competitive advantages [10]. Reports and studies [1,10,11] suggest that the answer to the problem of the adoption of ICTs in SMEs is to work alongside business leaders, executives and directives in the industry; this way the adoption of technologies will create a kind of cascade effect with the promotion of their leaderships inside companies, as long as they also work in technological competencies and in the developing the conditions that will allow to take the most advantage of these technologies. However, the capabilities and knowledge with which business leaders take decisions about development and innovation in their enterprises remain unknown. Obtaining equipment and technologies to modernize businesses is not enough. The main focus has to be placed on the businesses’ personnel as a central axis for growth; hence, “what they know”, “what they do”, and “what they accomplish” should be part of an initial diagnostic analysis.

This study focuses on the analysis of registered SME companies in the renewable energy sector in the state of Baja California. This implies that, in addition to the indicators and requirements of the research methodology itself, procedures attached to the administrative, economic, and engineering areas that consider key concepts and instructions for the intervention, attention, and monitoring of proposals in organizations will be added.

The analysis is developed in the convergence of different areas of knowledge, being relevant to locate the terms of the specialty area where the theories of this research are coined. Current studies involving multiple areas of knowledge have given rise to new currents and methods for innovation. In the present study, a panorama of work and collaboration between administrative and technological science topics is visualized, such as innovation, knowledge management, and organizational learning.

The study analyzes the technological skills that the leaders of the renewable energy sector currently perceive and their relationship with innovation processes, how these skills have been built, analyzing a learning history, self-teaching, or training route. The transfer of knowledge is analyzed as an indicator of conduction of technological knowledge to the human capital in charge, highlighting the tangible results in the processes within the company.

2. Context

Baja California is the northwestern border state of Mexico with the United States, neighboring the state of California. Its energy consumption ranks in the 10th place among the rest of the Mexican states, and it amounts to a 4.5% of the total energy consumption of the country. Out of this 4.5% of energy consumption, 89% is for domestic use and the remaining 11% represents the total demand for industrial use. This shows that Baja California maintains high demand for energy service due to its economic activities and border conditions.

In 2015, the state government of Baja California designed and implemented the Special Energy Program 2015–2019, which was based on an analytical diagnosis of its energy industry. The program was meant to pursue medium term goals and local energy policies to develop innovative processes and to grow infrastructure, services, and equipment and to increase energy production with the commitment of preserving and improving the state’s ecosystems [12]. The top priorities of Baja California’s energy program are managing the state’s foreign investment, consolidating the local industry, promoting the usage of renewable energies (for domestic, commercial and industrial services), covering isolated communities, and seeking better efficiency in energy use, which implies a great growth opportunity for the region’s renewable energy sector [12].

Baja California also ranks as number five of the Mexican states with the biggest renewable energy sector labor force in the country [13]. In Baja California, forty-six renewable energies SMEs are officially registered, with a human capital that oscillates mostly between 1 to 10 employees maximum, and in a smaller number of more than 10 employees and less than 20. The Energy Reform launched in 2013 by the previous federal administration led to a higher demand for talent, and a higher offer of technical, professional, and postgraduate formative programs for the energy sector. The state has four bachelor’s degree programs and three master’s degree programs offered by a total of six higher education institutions located in Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ensenada.

Baja California is mostly recognized for its production of wind power and geothermal energy. The state is among the top five Mexican states with the highest wind power production, accounting for 6% of the country’s total production. However, in regard to geothermal energy, Baja California accounts for 56% of the country’s total production. The state also has the resources and disposition to develop projects for the production of solar, hydraulic, and biomass energy [13].

Baja California is an area of natural resources, with excellent wind conditions from La Rumorosa to San Quintín; it is possible to qualify it as a wind emporium. Mexicali is a city with an excellent climate for the development of solar projects, while a few geographical areas have characteristics for the generation of geothermal energy such as Cerro Prieto and other fields to be exploited in Baja California, taking advantage of the energy of the ocean, not currents or waves, but power generation high up in the gulf. Baja California is a state where the four renewables come together, which can be key to the growth of the sector, based on the projects that the company has developed, it can be ensured that in practice, the potential for the generation of renewable energy is greater than what is indicated in government or research reports.

The state is an example of great initiatives, such as the Sierra Juárez Energy Wind Energy Project, first phase. The project is certified as of November 2013, established within the clean and efficient energy sector, developed in the city of Tecate with a population of 243,586 inhabitants benefiting. The promoter of the project is the Nova Energy Infrastructure company, SAB of C.V. (IENova), accredited by Energía Sierra Juárez S. de R.L. de C.V., where the main objective is the construction of a 155.1 MW wind energy park. Prior to the project, an evaluation of energy production was carried out, the results indicating that the area had optimal conditions for the installation of wind turbines in the process of obtaining wind energy.

The geographical location of Baja California brings great potential for the integration and development of transnational businesses and exportation services. Those are currently among the industry sectors with the highest growth nationwide, with the competitive advantages of the state accruing in services, transformation, research, innovation, and development. On top of its geographical advantage, Baja California shows great strength in its human resources due to constant training. It also shows great potential in its natural resources, which also favors its industrial attractiveness.

The SMEs that represent the renewable energy sector in Baja California are a group of companies with scaling potential due to the flexibility of their structure and the agile supply of goods and services. The SME is an ideal complement for sectors with larger transnational or cross-border maquiladora industries. Supporting the development of SMEs enables economic growth in the state. A support proposal is the development of technological skills that allow them to have a greater vision for the strategic planning of their company. Studying the leaders of SMEs and proposing lines of improvement allows expansion of the range of action, because the leader of an organization works as an articulating axis towards the rest of the human capital, therefore, proposing actions to increase their level of technological competence indirectly there will be an impact on the rest of the human capital within the organization.

3. Theoretical Framework

In order to analyze and evaluate the adoption of ICTs in the renewable energy sector of Baja California, we focused on the concept of technological competency as a way of exploring what business leaders and workers know about technology, as well as what they do and accomplish with it. This approach allows for a more objective and concrete perspective on technology adoption and appropriation within the sector.

3.1. Technological Competency

The concept of technological competency is frequently equated to other similar terms such as technological capacity, ability, and skills. Although these four terms are very closely related, our methodology calls for a proper definition and conceptualization of technological competency that can later be operationalized in a technological competencies profile for the analytical and evaluative purposes of this study.

The following definition of technological competency is the product of a systematic review of 140 publications that use the term and range from 1994 to 2016 [14,15]. By also taking into account the definitions provided by the European Union, the Accreditation of Competence in Information and Communication Technologies (ACTIC, for its acronym in Spanish), and authors such as González, Cabello and Moyano [16,17,18], the concept of technological competency is delimited to the context of the industry, considering the accumulated abilities of their organizations and the workers’ abilities, learning practices, and attitudes. The definition constructed here responds to the context of its application and the needs of this study, and it is approached with an integral and systemic vision in regard to business and production leadership. With this being said, for the purposes of this study, technological competency has been defined as:

“A set of cognitive and attitudinal dispositions that the human capital of an organization develops to interact and master the conscious or unconscious use of Information, Communication and Collaboration Technologies, as referred to the technological appropriation and incubation for innovation in services, processes or products that generate benefits and growth for the company and are strictly based on the collaborative work of its staff”

[14]

This concept has been constructed with the objective of analyzing organizations, based on their human capital and from a stance of understanding business development both in a social and economic sense, and of visualizing technological expertise from a “conscious” state, but more importantly, considering it from an “unconscious” state, because the latter represents the state in which individuals do not perceive ICTs’ incorporation as an instrumental element, but as a transparent, day-to-day and spontaneous relationship with technology. It is then relevant to assume collaborative work as a main feature of analysis because learning and skills development is generated by the organization’s collective experience as well as personal experiences and context [14].

In this research, the term “technological competency” has been conceptualized as a delimited and finite system that can be measured objectively. It has been identified as a “set of cognitive dispositions”, which a project on thought models of the University of Harvard understands as a “process that individuals express through a behavior and the frequent and consistent use of cognitive abilities” [19]. This process is related to three main elements of cognitive abilities: sensitivity, motivation, and skill, which are a crucial part of the assessment of technological competencies.

3.2. Technological Competencies Profile

The Technological Competencies Profile (TCP) is the operationalization of the concept of technological competency in the context of the renewable energies sector and is meant to be used as a tool of evaluation and diagnosis of the technological competencies that executives and directors apply in their businesses to achieve innovation, growth, and national and international recognition.

The TCP is based on a multidisciplinary approach, and it focuses on the desired knowledge, abilities, and attitudes that an ideal tech-savvy businessman and leader should have. The profile considers four main axes, all of them regarding different types of knowledge: (1) knowledge of technology, (2) knowledge of the renewable energies industry sector, (3) knowledge of business innovation, and (4) knowledge of the border and transnational context. This TCP has been proposed from multiple areas of knowledge and, since knowledge itself is known to change and accumulate, the ability to self-train, adapt, and to develop a vision are among the most relevant qualities considered in the profile.

Table 1. Technological Competencies Profile (TCP).

Technology Knowledge
Theoretical framework based on the European e-Competence Framework (e-CF), the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and emerging markets
Knowledge	Abilities	Attitudes
Software and hardware	To use web 2.0 applications	Communicative Purposeful Integrative Leadership Proactive Promotive Reflexive
	To encourage the usage of web 2.0 tools
	To identify necessary components, subsystems and technologies
	To participate in processes of creation, development, transfer and usage of technology
	To manage digital information in an accessible, sustainable an inter-operational way
	To develop technological prospection based on the research of upcoming tendencies, technological and technical advances, social and political changes, and scientific research
	To identify human talent with expertise in technological systems and devices management
Mobile applications	To use mobile equipment masterfully	Participatory Empathetic Proactive Communicative
	To use mobile apps for communication, collaboration, cooperation, and the efficient management of information
	To use tools for technological surveillance of technological innovation and associated with a systematic work of planning, production, and dissemination of information
	To plan the usage of mobile technological resources, promoting a competitive advantage
Innovation management	To select qualified and competent personnel for the management of components, subsystems, and necessary technologies	Committed Confidant Cordial
	To master and adapt process reengineering and concurrent engineering
	To manage activities in accelerated cycle processes for the development of new products and/or services and for their launch in the market, and to control time spans that get progressively shortened
	To integrate a multidisciplinary team of employees within the company
	To monitor through technological tools, considering security issues in software, hardware, infrastructure, and information
Technological change management	To manage system, subsystems, devices and technology standards and certifications that regulate the use of the service	Visionary Responsible Ethical
	To practice self-learning
	To have systematic and systemic vision
	To manage the technical, administrative, legal, social, and environmental effects of a complex system
	To generate a productive environment from the constant redesign of services and technology changes
	To execute transitions efficiently and affordably
	To handle incidents
	To respond to requests for the resolution of problems, based on the perception of users, clients, and employees
	To guide and manage the value offered to customers
Renewable Energies Industry Sector Knowledge
Analysis of government institutions and their dispositions regarding renewable energies in an international, national and regional framework; and perception of local higher education and research institutions by a pre-selected group of experts.
Knowledge	Abilities	Attitudes
Quality of service	To manage the development and innovation of products and services	Committed Ethical Planning Visionary
	To reduce production and service costs without affecting quality
	To increment the quality of products and services
	To participate in trainings and certifications of government institutions
	To promote the renewable energies market regulation schemes
	To promote and manage evaluation and certification models regarding renewable energy techniques
	To socialize processes, procedures, and benefits concerning the incorporation of systems for the generation of renewable energies
	To invest in cutting-edge technology for the generation of renewable energies
	To modernize the production plant for the generation of renewable energies
	To consider the state’s natural resources in the development of renewable energy projects
Industry and government	To understand and take advantage of public policies that support the generation of renewable energies	Cooperative Participatory Leadership Communicative
	To obtain economical funding through the federal, state, or international governments
	To cooperate with the public sector to identify niche markets for biofuels and blends
	To establish a relationship and to cooperate with government institutions that support the generation of renewable energies
	To analyze and understand the renewable energies industry’s development from the strategic national planning perspective and considering the National Development Plan, the State’s Development Plan, the Energetic Reform, and other legislatures.
	To identify the objectives of every government institution that has been created for the development or energetic projects in Mexico (such as the Management for Renewable Energies Competencies and Energetic Efficiency Committee, the Special Program for the Effective Usage of Renewable Energies, the Energy Regulatory Commission, etc.)
	To be constantly informed about the state’s programs that support the generation of renewable energies
	To promote and participate in the competencies’ standards for energy efficiency and renewable energies of the National Council for Standardization and Certification of Labor Skills (CONOCER, for its acronym in Spanish)
	To participate and maintain active communication with the Special State’s Energy Subcommittee
	To understand and address the disadvantage in northern Mexico regarding the isolation of the national electricity grid
Industry and I + D	To integrate and/or participate in collaborative groups where industry, higher education institutions, and government are involved	Cooperative Integrative Participatory Reflexive
	To promote projects for the generation of renewable energies that are socially responsible and environment-friendly
	To promote a sustainable culture in industry and society
	To identify innovative professions and to incorporate professionals in the processes for the generation of renewable energies
	To promote the usage of geographic information systems for the timely detection of needs and the feasibility analysis of electrification through renewable energies
	To link with the Mexican Centers of Energies Innovation, in accordance with the activities of the business
	To participate in forums and academic conferences for the promotion of services or the presentation of projects
	To structure and promote internship programs for students so they can later be involved in the business’ projects
	To support the structure of a development and innovation department for the creation of new products and services
	To sensitize business from different sectors on the need to create a department for energy management in order to develop projects based on renewable energies that allow the efficient usage and saving of resources
Exportation industry	To value the compliance with international standards for energy efficiency	Confidant Cordial Leadership Promotive Respectful Tolerant
	To analyze climate changes and the need to reduce contaminants
	To divulge and transfer knowledge about climate change and the need to reduce contaminants
	To link with the international industry of renewable energies for the acquisition of equipment at a low cost and within schedule
	To link with the international industry for the promotion of the company
	To seek foreign investment for the development of bioenergetics
	To develop strategies for planning and exporting products and services meant for the generation of renewable energies
	To establish alliances with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and its headquarters in Mexico.
	To establish alliances with the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC)
Business Innovation Knowledge
Based on a theoretical analysis of administrative trends of innovation and of trends of SME’s development
Knowledge	Abilities	Attitudes
Boost to human capital	To encourage the development and labor insertion of human capital related to ICTs	Communicative Confidant Cordial Leadership Planning Solidary
	To promote remote work based on the technological capabilities of human capital
	To motivate and finance constant training and updating of human capital
	To promote internal training and updating programs for human capital
	To propose short, medium, and long-term goals on the adoption of ICTs within the company
	To promote entrepreneurship as part of the company’s growth
	To promote the creation of a portfolio that presents the ICT capabilities of the company’s human capital
Digital marketing	To know the marketing and digital marketing models	Participative Proactive Communicative
	To raise awareness about the importance of incorporating and adopting technology in the industry
	To possess an innovative mindset
	To direct efforts for the incorporation of technology after strategic market planning
	To enable conditions for the usage of technology
	To consider ICTs as a source of improvement within the company, maintaining a positive vision of its implementation
	To constantly monitor the ideal connectivity and functioning of the internet systems
	To divulge services and processes through social networks on a regular basis
	To diversify the dissemination of information through websites, contact emails, and browsers, among others
	To constantly evaluate the impact of digital promotion strategies
Collaboration and cooperation	To participate in work networks with the public and private sectors	Proactive Purposeful Reflexive Ethical Leadership
	To promote and participate actively in the state’s energy cluster
	To join national and international collaboration networks
	To collaborate with various groups within the company to allow the transmission and dissemination of knowledge
	To cooperate and collaborate with other sectors of the region that are involved in the renewable energy value chain
Effective communication	To integrate an efficient communication plan between employees and clients	Respectful Tolerant Patient Ethical Leadership
	To integrate an internal communication plan which clearly defines the means, frequency and forms of communication between human capital or company departments
	To define effective communication strategies with suppliers, minimizing delivery times, and speeding up operations and the acquisition of supplies
	To integrate and socialize the client portfolio within the company, preferably with the use of digital media
	To ask for feedback from clients
Border and Transnational Context Knowledge
Based on human, social, cultural, and geographic considerations of the Mexican northern border
Knowledge	Abilities	Attitudes
Educational	To have proficiency in the English language	Persevering Critical Proactive
	To divulge and encourage the best organizational practices
	To know the educational offer related to renewable energies available in the state, from the technical to postgraduate level, to have a full understanding of the potential for human capital in the region
Geographical and environmental	To know the geography of the state and its potentialities in solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy	Reflexive Proactive Encouraging Leadership
	To analyze the conditions of the state’s geographical isolation in relation with the rest of the Mexico
	To analyze the state’s natural gas consumption and the degree to which the demand of renewable energies is being addressed
	To know which indicators are cause of alarm in the state, regarding weather conditions, water availability, population growth, inflation rate, political and economic stability, technological development, international competition, energy prices, supply of conventional fuels, etc.
	To comprehend and analyze the state’s disconnection to the national electricity grid and its low energy storage capacity, to respond with renewable solutions
	To analyze and assess the concentration of atmospheric pollutants in urban areas
Social	To address needs in vulnerable communities that are without electricity due to isolation from the urban area	Proactive Participative Reflexive Purposeful Ethical Empathetic
	To identify the human development index, living conditions, poverty, and social and economic inequalities in the region
	To identify migrant, indigenous, and disabled groups, and propose renewable energy options to support development
	To identify demographic population to establish projects in strategic areas
Economic	To know the economic activities in the state, mainly those where investment in renewable energies is needed, such as agricultural and livestock activities in the valleys of the state	Purposeful Leadership Planning Ethical Empathetic
	To know and analyze the development areas of the wine sector in the state as potential clients

shows all the profile’s characteristics in their four main categories.

4. Method

This research has been developed with a mixed methodology, based on the Concurrent Transformative Design (DISTRACT) model [20], in which a collection of quantitative and qualitative data is performed in two moments and the data collection and analysis itself is guided by a frame of reference. In this case, the frame of reference has been obtained from the context analysis and the structure of the Technological Competence Profile (TCP) described above. The context analysis captures the general scenario of the renewable energy sector from the point of view of researchers and government representatives who have followed the development of renewable energies in Baja California very closely.

Regarding the limits of evaluation, it was determined that the industry leader in the renewable energy sector corresponded to the person who occupies a managerial or general management position in the SME company studied. The leaders were identified through the integration of the directory of SMEs in the state with whom direct communication was had. Therefore, the measurement instruments do not deduce the leadership profile in the evaluation, the selection was made from the review of the organization chart of each company.

The evaluation was strictly focused on the description of the behavior of the renewable energy sector with respect to the technological skills demonstrated by its leaders, without emphasizing the particularities of each company, that is, it is not intended to mark differences in performance or compare levels of knowledge. Among the companies analyzed, contrary to that, a comprehensive evaluation of the sector is proposed, demonstrating as evidence comprehensive results of the panorama of the renewable energy sector in Baja California.

It is possible to study the renewable energy sector and its relationship with the development of technological skills of its human capital from multiple approaches. In the present study, the exploration of technological competences is considered from the self-perception of the leaders and from the perception of experts in the renewable energy sector. Both visions provide information on the behavior of the sector, the behavior of the leaders of the SMEs, the development they have had and the progress that is expected in the future. However, this approach is only a proposal within the diversity of options and areas of knowledge where it can be observed and investigated.

4.1. First Moment: Quantitative Evaluation

Forty-six renewable energies SMEs were first considered in a stratified sample process. The main criteria for selection were that the businesses offered products or services within the renewable energies sector, and that they were created and developed in Baja California. From these, a sample of thirteen SMEs was randomly selected as a representative subgroup of renewable energy sector SMEs in the region. This sample has a 0.90 reliability, which is within a desirable norm for the purposes of this research, representative sample calculations define a value of at least data from twelve organizations [21]. The leaders taken into account from this sample had either the administrative functions of directors or general managers, or had a position that represented the function of main leader in their company.

The leaders of these thirteen companies were surveyed with two different instruments. The first one was a questionnaire that explored the general data and characteristics of each SME and their compliance to 79 indicators that measured 5 dimensions based both on the TCP and the European e-Competence Framework (eCF) [22]:

• Technological competencies
• Internal environment and communication
• External environment and communication
• Training
• Innovation factors

Each question was applied with a Likert scale of one to five, one being “never” and 5 being “always”.

The second instrument was a technological biography, with questions that explored each leader’s perception of their own technological learning and expertise.

These two instruments were validated with a procedure known as Content Validity by Expert Judgment [23,24,25]. The instruments were reviewed and evaluated by 6 judges that had expert knowledge of the renewable energies industry. Upon their evaluation of each question of the two instruments, a Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.91 was obtained [24,25], which means that the revision reached acceptable results (considering that 0.53 is the minimal mark for an acceptable result). The Content Validity Ratio (CVR) was 1, which means every judge agreed in the validity of usage of both instruments. These were then improved to attend to the judges’ observations before their application to the business leaders [25].

The business leaders selected were invited to participate in this study through an email. Upon their agreement, they were then sent both questionnaires which they answered and sent back by email. They all received a confirmation of their submittal and a thank you note for their participation.

4.2. Second Moment: Qualitative Evaluation

The second phase of this investigation consisted of conducting semi-structured interviews with thirteen renewable energies industry specialists: eleven of them were ascribed to local research centers or higher education institutions, such as the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC, for its acronym in Spanish), Tijuana’s Technological University (UTT), the Polytechnical University of Baja California (IPBC), the Ensenada Center of Scientific Research and Higher Education (CICESE), and the North Border College (COLEF); and two of them worked for the government institutions, the State’s Commission of Energy, and the Secretary of Environmental Protection.

These interviews covered aspects such as those stated on

Table 2. Categories and subcategories for content analysis of interviews to specialists.

Categories	Subcategories
Aspects concerning the renewable energies industry	Main renewable energies projects or businesses in the state/country/transborder region
	Renewable energies industry’s growth barriers
	Renewable energies industry’s strengths in Baja California
	Incentives for renewable energies SMEs
	Renewable energies clusters in Baja California
	Industry-government-higher education institutions relation
Aspects concerning renewable energies professionals and leaders	Competencies and expectations for renewable energies businesses’ leaders
	Educational offer
	Opportunities for participation and development of specialists in renewable energy
Sociocultural aspects of renewable energies	Renewable energies’ representation in Baja California
	Benefits and social impact of projects in vulnerable areas
	Globalization of the renewable energies industry

.

These categories and subcategories were explored in a content analysis developed from those interviews [26].

5. Results

Thirteen responses from thirteen different business leaders were gathered for this study. Of the total responses, 61.5% of the companies had an impact at the regional level, 30.7% showed an impact at the national level, and only 7.5% had international impact. There were four responses from Mexicali, four from Tijuana, four from Ensenada, and one from Tecate. A total of 92.3% of the companies dedicated their activities to the development of solar energy products or services, and consultation on renewable energy issues; 38.4% participated in the development of wind energy products or services, and 7.6% of the companies dedicated themselves to consulting on renewable energy issues, training, and updating.

The companies had a small number of employees, which is characteristic among SMEs. The evaluated leaders directed groups of less than 20 people: 69.2% of the companies had a payroll of between 1 to 10 people, and 23% of the companies registered a payroll of between 11 to 20 people. Of the 13 leaders interviewed, 11 are founders of the company; therefore, they know their activities and processes from their beginning to date. This is of great value for this study because it implies that the data is enriched with historical knowledge of the company and of the working group each leader represents.

A total of 23% of companies reported having export products or exportation services with productive activities in wind and solar energy to other countries. Regarding the companies’ age, 15.3% of the companies had more than 20 years, 23% of the companies had between 11 and 15 years, 38.4% of the companies had 4 to 10 years, and 23% had 1 to 3 years in the market.

5.1. Results of the Quantitative Evaluation

The statistical analysis of the first questionnaire that explored the TCP and the eCF showed the following results represented on

Table 3. Results of quantitative evaluation of the TCP.

Dimension	Indicators	Number of Responses
		Never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Always
Technological competencies	1–11	11	19	20	49	44
Internal environment and communication	12–37	74	34	61	104	65
External environment and communication	38–59	75	35	43	67	66
Training	60–71	69	14	15	33	25
Innovation factors	72–79	47	5	11	19	22

, where the answers of the 79 total indicators of the thirteen organizations surveyed are integrated:

In the Technological competencies dimension, most answers ranged from “often” to “always”. The mode was “often”; the results’ standard deviation was 20.8, and the mean, 26.4. In the Internal environment and communication dimension, most answers ranged from “sometimes” to “always”. The mode was “often”; the standard deviation was 38.66, and the mean, 52.8. In the External environment and communication dimension, answers ranged from “sometimes” to “always”, with “often” as the mode. Its standard deviation was 27.45 and its mean was 42.2. The answers in the Training dimension ranged from “often” to “always”, with “often” as the mode. The standard deviation of this dimension was 12.46, and 17.4 was the mean. Finally, on the Innovation factors dimension, answers ranged from “sometimes” to “always”. The mode was “always”, the deviation standard was 9.23, and the mean was 11.4.

Grouping the total indicators of both questionnaires allowed us to estimate the total percentages of the Technological Competencies Profile and the scores of the renewable energies sector in Baja California. Assuming, then, the 100% total possible score for the TCP, the renewable energies sector rated as follows in

Table 4. Evaluation of the Technological Competencies Profile in the renewable energies sector of Baja California.

Dimension	Technological Competencies Profile Total Score	Answers’ Results	Percentages Obtained by the Renewable Energies Sector
Technological competencies	715	44	6.15%
Internal environment and communication	1690	65	3.84%
External environment and communication	1430	66	4.61%
Training	780	25	3.20%
Innovation factors	520	22	4.23%
Total	5135	222	4.32%

.

These percentages were estimated by considering the five total points as the maximal score for each indicator of the TCP questionnaire. It is then estimated that, out of the possible 100%, the renewable energies sector of Baja California obtained 4.32% in the TCP. Its higher scored dimension was Technological competencies, with 6.15%; and both Training and Internal environment and communication were its lower scored dimensions, with 3.20% and 3.84% respectively.

5.2. Results of the Qualitative Evaluation

The semi-structured interviews performed with the renewable energies’ experts provided valuable insight about this sector’s industry in the region. The content analysis of the interview, using the categories and subcategories specified in Table 2, allows us to envision the region’s ecosystem of innovation within the industry and to gather perspective on its current advantages, limitations, and opportunity areas.

Table 5. Renewable experts’ perspective on the renewable energies industry sector in Baja California.

Category	Sub-Category	Findings
Renewable energies industry	Main projects or businesses	Most experts regarded the wind power park in Rumorosa, Mexicali as the most representative and important project in the state. They also acknowledged the efforts that SENER and CONACYT have done to promote renewable energies centers such as CemiGEO, with CICESE as its institutional leader.
	Growth barriers	Political: The experts believe that the energy reform should be implemented just as it is, but that higher regulations and follow-up mechanisms are needed in order to validate the quality of products, processes, and procedures, and to guarantee the industry’s success. They also call for higher government funding to renewable energies projects instead of focusing on natural gas projects. Technological: The industry lacks proper equipment for energy exploitation and generation. Some companies manage to develop application technologies but have a hard time transferring its products to the industry. Experts call for plans and programs that would allow the acquisition of cutting-edge technology for developing high-impact projects. Communicational: Experts believe that little is known about the competencies and skills of professionals on renewable energies by entrepreneurs and businesses, which limits investment and the undertaking of projects. This calls for the need to further promote what the sector has to offer. Technical: Three experts mentioned that the isolation from the state on the national’s energy grid affects the development of national projects with high-scale investment, which limits the state’s participation in the national industry.
	Strengths	Experts identify the state as an energy island with important energy potential in sun, wind, and geothermal energy when compared with the rest of the country. The state’s human capital shows great promise as postgraduates are trained to design new products that can be applied to meet the state’s needs and demands, and which can later be patented, registered, and commercialized. The state has more economic benefits when compared with the rest of the country due to its geographical location in the border, since it eases exportation and access to national and international products and services at a lower cost.
	Incentives for SMEs	Some experts recommend continuing with the state’s dominance in consultancy and installation services from SMEs; but others call for a change of approach and further acknowledgement of the professionals’ ability to design new products, on the condition that businesses consider developing innovation departments. Some experts recommend seeking business growth in the geothermal energy sector.
	Clusters	Experts agree on the need to create a cluster for the industry in the state, but that project is on hold, nobody is currently promoting its creation, and the current administration has not set this as a priority.
	Industry-government-higher education relation	Experts recognize that both industry and higher education institutions do work efficiently together for developing projects, but that this is not entirely so when it comes to working in collaboration with the government. The procedures that the government applies are neither clear nor transparent, which hinders communication with the industrial sector.
Renewable energies professionals and leaders	Competencies and expectations	Experts identify three types of competencies that business leaders are required to have: Informational: Leaders need to be aware of relevant political, normative, diagnostic, and scientific information on renewable energies. Entrepreneurial: Some experts recommend having postgraduate studies to apply renewable energies on a large scale; but others recommend training in marketing, investment, and international and national business relations to obtain products and resources. Technological: Leaders need to be technologically savvy so they can provide follow-up to their projects.
	Educational offer	Experts identify a low percentage of higher education institutions that participate in collaborative projects with renewable energies businesses. The Engineering Institute of the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) is recognized for participating in real impact projects, but more needs to be done to integrate more educational institutions and their students.
	Opportunities for participation and development	50% of experts mentioned business skills as more important than technical expertise to participate in the sector. They also refer to the need to develop business societies between students. They mentioned that graduates on renewable energies should know how to identify their region’s needs in order to promote and apply projects that can solve local problems and generate growth. Some experts suggest that graduates should develop technical skills on geothermal energy as a niche market of opportunity for the state.
Sociocultural aspects	Representation	Social image of renewable energies is not optimal in the state. There is resistance in the community to install renewable energies equipment due to bad experiences with businesses, lack of trust in the government and its ability to manage resources responsibly, and general disinformation about renewable energies.
	Benefits and social impact	There is a very small and limited number of renewable energies application projects in vulnerable areas, such as one from the Engineering Institute of UABC. However, there is still a significant lack of support in these communities.
	Globalization	Experts call for a change of perspective from business that understands their advantage in hiring contractors, consultants, and human capital, to developing and designing innovative products. This calls for higher investment in development centers and in the commercialization of national products.

below shows a summary of this qualitative evaluation results.

6. Discussion

The qualitative results allow for a broader picture of the renewable energies sector in Baja California and its business leaders’ technological competencies. Considering this research’s theoretical framework, with the definition of technological competency (see Section 3.1), and its fieldwork’s main findings, it can be concluded that the leaders of the renewable energies sector have an unconscious use of ICTs; they use them to communicate in a fast and effective way, but they do not have a clear conception of how to integrate ICTs with their business’ processes. In other words, there is no conscious use of ICTs as a continuous planning exercise that allows them streamline procedures or solve problems and to maintain a vision of constant innovation.

As far as the definition of technological competency goes, regarding the technological knowledge that favors appropriation, leaders show high technical and computer management skills. They prefer technological solutions such as communication equipment in their homes, and they have advanced knowledge on how to use mobile devices and tools for optimizing creative ideas and projects; they also use them for entertainment and leisure. Most of the leaders have gained this knowledge by themselves, exploring the possibilities of available technologies; therefore, they have the ability to self-learn and investigate to increase their knowledge. In regards to technological incubation, a critical finding of this investigation is that SMEs in the renewable energies sector of Baja California are service providers and equipment assemblers, which implies a purely technical work. Therefore, a department or activity that can be considered as innovation and/or development practice, where it is possible to analyze, investigate, test new services, processes, or equipment, is needed. Finally, regarding collaborative work, the analyzed group maintains effective communication with its team members, transmitting acquired knowledge, sharing training spaces, evaluating areas of opportunity, organizing and managing collaborative activities of administrative matters by technological means, and, in some cases, promoting or paying extra compensation for high performance.

When triangulating both quantitative and qualitative results, there is noticeable agreement between the auto-perception of the business leaders and the experts’ evaluation of the renewable energies sector. For instance, they both recognize the same areas of opportunity, such as the lack of involvement and initiative from the government, and the unpursued potential for technological entrepreneurship and innovative development in the industry. They both agree also in the areas of strength, such as the sector’s technological knowledge, quality of services, digital marketing, and effective communication.

In light of the main findings of this investigation, it is believed that the renewable energies sector in Baja California could highly benefit from the following recommendations:

• To seek training and updating in economic and administrative oriented topics for the integrative development of companies.
• To train and qualify staff in the “expert” management of the areas in which they participate, considering postgraduate studies where applied projects are developed, and problems that need attention in the sector.
• To make efforts to establish and strengthen collaboration networks between government–university–industry–society.
• To propose training programs in mixed modalities to take advantage of online training.
• To develop a renewable energies cluster to consolidate a network that promotes the sector in the state.
• To provide follow-up to planning processes and guidance within the company, but consider working abroad.
• To develop social impact programs that can change the perception of renewable energies in the state by showing the benefits they offer to the community and its scope of services, with the hope of increasing the demands of products and services.
• To ally with education, development, and research organizations and institutions to establish joint projects with regional, national, and global impact, promoting the generation of technology-based companies.
• To establish medium and long-term development projects in collaboration with the government to generate renewable energy in areas with electrical service needs, by taking advantage of natural resources.
• To analyze the potential of natural resources for the generation of renewable energies and the reduction of the state’s natural gas dependence.
• To be constantly informed of federal and state public policies, development plans, and mixed funds to support renewable energies projects.
• To prioritize the creation of a department or an external service responsible of implementing technological dissemination strategies and keeping digital marketing, technological culture, and corporate image updated.
• To socialize the success of renewable energy projects, at a state and global level, with the intention of changing the perception of products and services in the industry.
• To establish collaboration networks with other industry sectors, promoting the advantages of incorporating technology and renewable energies to attract potential clients.

7. Conclusions

The main contribution of this study is that it offers a panoramic glance at the scenario of the technological advances inside the renewable energies industrial sector of Baja California, which serves as a point of reference for further action and planning. From the results of the study, it is clear that the current picture of the renewable energy sector in the state of Baja California, Mexico regarding the technological competencies of the leaders, where only 4.32% of the level is obtained compared with 100% indicators of the ideal TCP. All the dimensions of the profile are below the average, ranging between 6.15% and 3.20%, as the results show in Table 3 and Table 4.

The proposal of the Technological Competencies Profile (TCP) outlined here is not a fixed nor static guideline; it responds to a series of indicators that are relevant for the moment and place described here, based on a structured model that has the flexibility to transform itself depending on local and global needs and demands.

Talent and human capital represent the main axis in technological development. The development and innovation that takes place in the current industrial revolution, Industry 4.0, revolve around the human capital that forms the industry, society, government, and academia. This differs from previous perspectives in which infrastructure and equipment were considered the most relevant part of strategic organizational planning. However, that focus has shifted to a much broader view in which human knowledge, skills, and attitudes are regarded as key elements in the development of technological trends. In addition, increasing the technological competencies of human capital in the industry allows for more efficient decision making, where the conscious and responsible use of ICTs is valued. If the leaders of the productive sector have high technological skills, their technological appropriation becomes more agile, allowing them to consider higher quality equipment, with higher performance that reduces the number of hours per task performed, with more effective remote communications, among others benefits, which in turn leads to a reduction in the environmental impact of the company without affecting its productivity.

8. Future Work

8.1. Development of a General Structure of the Technological Competence Profile for the Evaluation of Various Industrial Sectors in a Standardized Way

The development of a general standardized evaluation model is considered relevant, that is, one that can be transformed into agile evaluation instruments for its implementation and that allows practical data collection in other industrial sectors. For this, it is important to recover from the description of technological skills and the associated terms from various areas of knowledge, those elements that are recognized as generalities, that is, that can be implemented as is in other industrial sectors without affecting the objectives of the dimensions to evaluate; and on the other hand, to determine which elements are identified as particularities, which, well, pay only to the renewable energy sector, and suggest exclusive conditions to the present study, in this way, it is possible to restructure within the evaluation model stages of development of indicators dependent on the next sector to be evaluated.

8.2. Propose Policies and Strategies to Promote the Renewable Energy Sector in the State

The intention from the results obtained in this study is to generate a change in the local industry, that is, it is proposed to maintain an active participation in connection with the State Energy Commission and the State Government, to propose policies of development, plans and training programs and define the specific lines of action in the renewable energy industry in the state of Baja California, under the vision that research contributes to technological development and economic growth in the region where it is developed. This is how the industry situation analysis completes the life cycle, identifying positive elements, elements with room for improvement, and promoting efforts to generate impactful changes.

Expand the study of technological skills in the renewable energy sector or other productive sectors from different analysis approaches. The study of technological skills in the renewable energy sector from the assessment of what leaders know and what they do with that knowledge represents an evaluation approach and one of various methodologies for obtaining data.

In the panorama of study of technological skills in the productive sector there is still much to explore and deduce. In the present study, the object of study is approached from a perspective of the self-perception of leaders and the perception of experts. However, there are other edges that can complement the study, the results and the findings. Some of these proposals are: considering transnational and cross-border companies in the study; expanding the sample to a diversity of types of organizations to identify the levels of technological competence among them and what they contribute to the sector; consider larger government organizations; and considering a study from the political-legislative-governmental approach where the object of study of technological skills lies in the staff of government agencies and institutions. Likewise, the assessment of public policies and the orientation or lack of it for the growth of the sector; expanding the analysis of technological skills with greater depth in “attitudes” which represents an opportunity for improvement for the present study. The evaluation of attitudes represents an element with diverse analysis characteristics, from areas of knowledge that have not been considered.