Female Leadership in the Digitalization of Microbusinesses: A Case Study in Comuna 19 de Cali

Abstract

This article presents a case study on the role of female engineering students from Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios - UNIMINUTO leading a digital transformation process for six microbusinesses located in Cali’s Comuna 19. Through the adaptation of an Odoo-based ERP system, the study shows how female technical leadership drives operational efficiency, technological appropriation, and administrative sustainability, regardless of business owners’ gender. A mixed-methods approach included surveys, interviews, participant observation, and operational metric analysis. Findings reveal that empathetic leadership, user-centered design, and contextualized training foster technology adoption and community-based peer learning. The study concludes that female-led digitalization is a strategic factor in closing gender gaps and building digital capacity in vulnerable urban settings.