Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review critically the HRD literature in the small business context in order to identify the main barriers to employee training and learning and recommend ways to overcome them.Design/methodology/approachThe paper highlights the potential barriers to training and learning among small firms, looking at organizational constraints such as lack of time or limited financial resources, as well as negative attitudes towards employee training and its importance for business survival.FindingsThe available studies indicate that better access to information on the applicability and usefulness of HRD to small firms can be crucial to overcoming the barriers to skills development that exists among such firms. The analysis suggests that a key challenge for policy makers in this area is to facilitate changes in owner attitudes, improve access to training interventions and create the necessary institutional conditions to encourage SMEs to move to high value‐added trajectories.Practical implicationsSMEs need to invest in innovation to face fierce national and international competition and achieve an above‐average return. This article provides guidance for implementation of innovation practices that may help SMEs to overcome some of the barriers to successful innovation.Originality/valueThe human resource development (HRD) literature has tended to focus on larger organizations in order to develop an understanding of workforce skills development. However, it has been acknowledged that a healthy small business sector is fundamental to every corporate economy. This article helps to explore the HRD processes in these types of organizations.
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/ authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore small firm owners' perceptions of the impact of employee training on small firm competitiveness in the context of Greece.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts a qualitative orientation. Empirical data were collected from 43 owners of small and micro‐firms operating in various sectors of the Greek manufacturing industry through personal semi‐structured interviews.FindingsThe empirical evidence reveals that informal staff training can help Greek small firms face the challenges of the future. More specifically, the interview findings indicated that workplace training can: reduce employee errors in the production process; help small firms to meet skill shortage needs; facilitate the introduction of new technology; and enhance worker employability.Practical implicationsThe paper argues that a key challenge for policy makers and employers in this area is to facilitate informal learning within small firms in order to improve firm performance. In the same manner, work‐integrated learning (WIL) seems to have a vital role to play in the performance of Greek small enterprises since WIL programs have the potential to address skills mismatch issues.Originality/valueThe study brings new insights around the benefits of informal staff training and work‐integrated learning for small and micro‐firm performance in the context of a small European country like Greece, where there has been scant research and very limited understanding.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to look at the employability skills development efforts of Greek higher education institutions (HEIs) and recommend ways to help them create the employable graduate. Design/methodology/approach -The paper draws on extensive secondary data analysis. Findings -It is revealed that HEIs in Greece have failed, so far, to integrate key skills into their curriculum and as a result graduates are not equipped with a range of skills designed to be of practical value in the world of work. The paper argues that there is an immediate need for policy makers to develop a national policy on key skills in HE, in order to help students secure employment, as well as help domestic firms meet their skill needs. Practical implications -The paper indicates that the role of HEIs in the country remains undermined. In this context it is suggested that a graduate apprenticeship scheme needs to be developed to prepare graduates for the world of employment and that stand-alone modules around key skills should be incorporated into each program of study. Additionally, deans, departmental leaders and teaching staff should commit themselves towards skills initiatives and should work towards developing a skills-based curriculum that would equip students with marketable skills. Originality/value -The paper informs the existing literature about the employability development efforts of HEIs in the context of an advancing country, where the current understanding is very limited.
Purpose This study aims to explore the impact of management training on organizational performance in the small business context to evaluate whether formal management learning interventions bring organizational benefits to small enterprises. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted consisting of 100 interviews with small firm owners/managers and employees working in 50 Greek small enterprises operating in the manufacturing and services sectors. Participant firms consisted of 25 small enterprises (9 manufacturing firms and 16 firms in the services sector) whose owners/managers have completed various formal training interventions (i.e. accredited seminars and workshops, business and management courses, etc.,) and 25 small enterprises (16 manufacturing firms and 9 firms in the services sector) whose owners/managers have not completed any sort of formal business training and have never attended formal management courses. Findings The findings revealed that management training in small businesses had a positive impact on organizational performance. In particular, those respondents that completed formal training interventions argued that their firms achieved increased profitability during 2017 and 2018; improved staff productivity; very low staff turnover rate; and enhanced staff satisfaction and motivation compared with the less-trained owners of small firms in the same sector. The participants pointed out that their formal education in business and management has enabled them to realize the importance of employee learning and job design for staff motivation, whereas it has helped them to manage change more effectively. Practical implications The present findings have major implications for practitioners (i.e. small firm owners/managers), as they point to a positive link between management training and organizational performance, thus encouraging them to invest in their self-development. Originality/value The existing evidence around the impact of management training on firm performance has been based mostly on quantitative research in large organizations. However, the available empirical studies fail to explore in-depth how formal management training can help smaller enterprises achieve improved organizational performance. Against this background, the present study sheds new light on this area.
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