Measuring digital maturity in MSMEs: An integrated statistical model of digitization, innovation, and sustainability

The literature on digital transformation in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) has advanced in a fragmented manner, often focusing separately on digitalization, innovation, or sustainability. This fragmentation has limited understanding of digital maturity within firms and reduced the effectiveness of public policies. The objective of this study is to develop and apply an integrated multivariate statistical model to construct a synthetic index that jointly captures digitalization processes, organizational innovation, and sustainable practices. The Multidimensional Index of Digital Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability (IMEDIS) represents a methodological contribution that overcomes unidimensional approaches and provides a comparable and representative measure of digital maturity. Based on a sample of 654 Brazilian MSMEs, multivariate statistical techniques were applied to create a typology of digital maturity. The main conclusion is that digital maturity does not result solely from technology adoption but from the interaction of digital strategies, innovation, and sustainability, revealing strong structural heterogeneity across firms. IMEDIS is a useful tool for diagnosing, monitoring, and evaluating public policies and digital strategies for MSMEs, offering an analytical framework transferable to different national contexts.