The contribution of CEO profile to enhancing SME performance: Evidence from an empirical study using SEM

This article provides an in-depth analysis of key concepts shaping the organizational landscape, including human capital, competencies, organizational culture, and business performance. A precise and rigorous definition of each element is provided to establish a solid theoretical foundation. Subsequently, an extensive review of the scientific literature is conducted, highlighting both theoretical and empirical studies that have examined the influence of executives' characteristics and competencies, as well as organizational culture, on overall business performance. This review aims to shed light on the various perspectives adopted by researchers in this critical area. From a methodological standpoint, we adopted a quantitative approach by developing a questionnaire distributed to 250 service SMEs located in Marrakech. Data analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test and validate our research hypotheses and model. The results of our study demonstrate that the characteristics of the executives' profiles have a positive impact on the performance of service SMEs in Marrakech, Morocco.