Using collaborative learning to develop small firms

Abstract

It is often suggested that learning is one of the keys to sustained competitive advantage. However, resource constraints within smaller rms may mean that they sometimes fail to maximize the potential of learning. This article describes the development of a collaborative model of small rm learning and its implementation in a number of organizations in the south west of the UK. The stake-holders in the model were client rms, learning advisors, and a university business school. The model took as its starting point a diagnosis of learning needs at the individual and organizational levels. The subsequent Learning Programme varied enormously between participating rms (re ective of their differing needs) and included activities which were firm-specific alongside a number of generic interventions at the organizational level intended to develop team learning and experimentation. The principal aim of the programme was to address a manageable number of high-priority learning issues. As well as describing the model ' s development and implementation, the paper reports the results of a qualitative evaluation and concludes by suggesting some theoretical elaborations to models of workplace learning.

Facilitating Small Firm Learning Networks in the Irish Tourism Sector

“…Unfortunately, small fi rms are regularly offered generic training solutions ( Deakins and Freel, 1998 ;Gomez et al , 2004 ;EC, 2006 ) originally designed for larger organisations, resulting in a training approach that often fails to address the learning needs of the small fi rm ( Sadler-Smith et al , 2000 ;Sullivan, 2000 ;Wyer et al , 2000 ). This is despite the fact that customised training courses and convenient delivery has been found to facilitate optimum learning in the small fi rm ( Darch and Lucas, 2002 ;Kelliher and Henderson, 2006 ).…”

Entrepreneurs' human resources development

“…Training is rarely strategically planned, but instead is chosen reactively, when problems or knowledge gaps are identified, and usually not or informally evaluated (Hill & Stewart, 2000). Learning and development approaches seem to fit best when based on experimentation, reflection, and team learning (Sadler-Smith, Gardiner, Badger, Chaston, & Stubberfield, 2000).…”

At The Podium of Enterprise Development Exploring the Cooperation Experiences between Publicly Funded Small Enterprises and Financial Advisors

“…Some scholars have found that business advisers are drawn from nearby locations (Bennett el al. 2000) and that their role in business development networks and quality vary, i.e., an academic community that is linked to manager networks through collaborative learning was observed to produce development in small firms (Sadler-Smith et al, 2000); however, the quality of the consultants was considered by Tann and Laforet (1998) to need improvement. The use of financial advice can be understood in terms of an entrepreneur's ability to obtain support from one's environment and the ability and willingness to build partnerships and alliances (Garnsey, 1998;Dossou-Yovo, 2015).Considering business advice use from the enterprise development perspective, a lack of contacts with outside expert advisors has been identified as an obstacle to the expansion of small businesses (Larsson et al, 2003), and the more varied group of business advisors that a female business owner consulted, the more likely she was to succeed in securing equity financing (Carter et al 2003).…”