Gouvernance et Performance Organisationnelle des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises de la ville de Bukavu en RD Congo

The question of the ideal profile of the owner-manager in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is both complex and highly relevant. Individuals create or manage businesses for various reasons, and these motivations differ from one entrepreneur to another. While some are driven by opportunity, independence, innovation, or economic necessity, others hesitate to launch business projects because they believe they lack the required skills, experience, or resources. In this context, the role of the manager has become a decisive factor in the success and sustainability of modern enterprises. Management literature gives considerable attention to this role because managerial effectiveness is closely linked to the quality of leadership, decision-making, and strategic direction exercised by top management.

These observations suggest that the integration of good governance practices within SMEs can help them overcome many of the obstacles they face. Given the economic and social importance of SMEs, as well as their essential role in local development, it is necessary to examine governance as a potential response to the challenges affecting their performance. Such an analysis helps clarify the relationship between governance and organizational performance by identifying the organizational dimensions that influence SME performance in the city of Bukavu.

The findings of this study show that entrepreneurial leaders have, on average, achieved a relatively strong level of organizational performance, with a score of 3.975, representing 79.5%. This result highlights the strategic importance of SMEs in Bukavu, where they contribute significantly to household livelihoods, employment creation, and the local economy.

According to the results, the organizational performance dimension appears to be significant and has a strong influence on the relationship between governance and SME performance, as demonstrated by its high explained variance of 65%. This study of SMEs in Bukavu therefore makes it possible to analyze the system used to measure organizational performance through several indicators, including operational speed, product availability, the quality and satisfaction level of products compared with competitors, the number of innovations introduced, the achievement of objectives, excellence at work, business growth, and profitability.