A large proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises are managed by their owners and founders. The goal of this research was to describe the diversity of management practices in owner-managed SMEs. Understanding this diversity will raise awareness of the challenges SMEs are facing and suggest possible solutions that will help improve their management and sustainability. In this study, 205 owner-managed SMEs with more than nine people employed were analyzed using a company self-assessment based on a tailor-made governance model. Data were analyzed using statistical analysis software in combination with a visual analysis. To group similar companies, the cluster analysis technique was used. The results showed a high diversity in how companies were managed and their performances. This research indicated that statistical analysis itself is not sufficient for exploring this diversity, and other approaches, such as visual analysis, must be used as well.

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Purpose – individuals or families own and at the same time manage a large proportion of private enterprises. Previous studies mostly refer to owner-manager of the enterprise as an individual with own personal traits, styles and preferences. Purpose of this article is to propose a new typology of the owners-managers of the small and medium en- terprises representing all variety, determined by their different ownership status and managerial authorities in companies. Research methodology – research started with a systematic rapid literature review using an overview method. Data for research were collected through 52 semi-structured interviews with SME owner-managers representing broad range of industries and companies of different age. Key findings were discussed and approbated in two focus group discussions. Findings – as a result of this research, a preliminary typology was developed, consisting of ten types of the SME own- ers-managers, with a brief description of each type constructed. Research limitations – conclusions from this research are relevant to those SMEs analysed in this particular research and shall not be generalized without additional research and validation. Practical implications – the typology suggested in this article provides a structured way to explore the diversity of SME owners-managers and raise understanding of their behaviour when planning, controlling and managing their business. Originality/Value – the proposed typology is a step towards filling the knowledge gap caused by the lack of a holistic and systematic approach in addressing the diversity of the SME owners-managers.

The Doctoral Thesis examines how understanding of small and medium-sized enterprises, concept of owner-manager and government practices have evolved and changed over time. Empirical study on governance of owner-managed SMEs has been carried out, and research data have been analyzed using methods of statistical and visual analysis. A new typology of SME owners-managers, SME profiling based on governance approaches, and methodology that SME owners and managers can use to analyze and develop their businesses is developed in this work.

Promocijas darbā pētīts, kā laika gaitā veidojusies un mainījusies izpratne par mazajiem un vidējiem uzņēmumiem (MVU), šādu uzņēmumu īpašniekiem-vadītājiem, kā ir attīstījušās uzņēmumu pārvaldības pieejas. Veikts empīrisks pētījums par īpašnieku vadītu MVU pārvaldību, un pētījuma dati ir analizēti, izmantojot statistiskās analīzes un rezultātu vizuālās analīzes metodes. Darbā piedāvāta jauna MVU īpašnieku-vadītāju tipoloģija, veikta uzņēmumu pārvaldības pieeju profilēšana, kā arī izstrādāta un aprobēta metodika, ko MVU īpašnieki un vadītāji var izmantot savu uzņēmumu darbības analīzei un attīstībai.