Observing SMEs with technology Adoption Glasses through Systems Engineering Lens

Hi-tech small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are facing many organizational challenges such as lack of resources including knowledge, competent workforce, managerial training, and experiences. Additionally, SMEs encounter engineering management challenges including inefficient decision-making, inability to adapt changes and lack of customers understanding. Technical support is required to cope with these challenges. Systems engineering (SE) can contribute to resolve growing challenges of complexity and enhance organizational efficiency in this context, although SE adoption is a challenge itself. Primarily SE is employed by large enterprises to manage complexities. The main objective of this study is to investigate the relations among the challenges faced by hi-tech SMEs, the expected benefits and barriers while trying to solve these challenges by adopting SE, and the existing best practices that can facilitate this adoption. Three mind-maps were developed a) challenges faced by hi-tech SMEs, b) potential benefits and challenges to adopt and implement SE, and c) ways to facilitate adoption. These maps converge into an impact model that highlights the important factors to be improved with SE knowledge and tries to overcome barriers associated with adoption processes. Authors argue that technology adoption theories and techniques can provide support to make SE more adoptable in the case of hi-tech SMEs. Therefore, the presented impact model can help hi-tech SMEs to decide on strategies to use SE to solve some of their engineering management challenges.