Assessment of Competitive Advantage in Micro-Healthcare Enterprises in the Federal District Based on the Vrio Model — Technical Report

Abstract

This Technical Report analyzes the results of a study on managers’ perceptions of strategic resources in microenterprises in the healthcare services sector of the Federal District, based on the VRIO Model derived from the Strategic Management Theory Resource-Based View (RBV). The investigation was conducted through a mixed-method questionnaire applied to managers of medical and dental clinics, designed to identify their evaluation of physical, financial, human, and intangible resources. A low level of adherence to the analytical instrument was observed, with only two complete responses out of ten potential respondents in the first stage and one response out of seven potential respondents in the second stage. For the evaluators, this phenomenon was considered a relevant finding and may be associated with the secondary importance that managers of this business model attribute to management tools. It is also related to a contextual perspective in which a systematic undervaluation of human and intangible resources prevails, revealing a paradox, since these resources are most closely associated with sustainable competitive advantage according to RBV. The results suggest that managers underestimate what most differentiates them, and the VRIO Model may act as a means of revealing these blind spots. The study concludes that the application of VRIO in healthcare microenterprises proves to be a viable diagnostic tool for identifying failures in the exploitation of potential advantages within managerial strategy. The low adherence to the instrument reinforces the existence of barriers among managers in adopting a practical tool that could be fundamental for the maturation of management practices in this sector.