Abstract:

The present paper shows the DISMEM methodology developed based on the Lean Startup philosophy and oriented to promove the diversification process within Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in a modular way.

This is a Mondragon University pilot program in the companies as a tipology of a corporative strategy in order to achieve Diversification results.
A heuristic research methodology had been applied to search new opportunities contrasted with the real market. This methodology considers the differencies on the companies size, innovation degree, etc and based on this first classification, a modular methodology has been defined.

This methodology considers contingencies that arise in the course of entrepreneurial exploration to identify the creation of a sustainable business.
The categorization of companies determine the number and format of the modules to be developed within the DISMEM methodology. It begins with Lean Startup philosophy, which is a agile and modular new business development methodology, and allows to achieve results in a short period of time.

Specifically, the pilot program project had been carried out, in which the scalable method had been implemented in the case of SMEs of the Basque Autonomic Region and follows the process identified and defined before.

In addition, some training sessions had been held in each of the participating counties in the Basque Region and different online content had been enabled via Moodle that there would be accessible from the project website. So, the Basque Counties in the project have the tutor-guide role in order to carry out efectively the project results.

Furthermore, different ad-hoc tutorials had been performed to support the training sessions identified.

As a result of this pilot program and its training process developed, we achieved to explicit the best practices related to the diversification process within SME.

This new diversification methodology involves industry within the pilot program; from the diversification and capacity assessment analysis of the company`s profile, skills and technologies that dominates, to identify the diversification opportunity map and its business modeling.
At the end of the project each of the companies participating will have identified their diversification opportunity map and also market realities were contrasted and validated.

Keywords:

Diversification Opportunity map, Corporate Strategy, modular, SME.