Learning in smaller organisations

Abstract

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. AbstractDrawing on research based on interviews with small firms in north-east England, looks at the process of learning in and by small organisations (with 50 or fewer employees). Finds that the dominant culture of small organisations points to the need to develop alternative approaches to HRD that do not rely on business plans or training needs analyses. Examines small organisations in terms of five key characteristics: adaptability; planning; information and knowledge; human resource development; and growth. Finds that small organisations are characterised by: a paternalistic culture; an informal approach to planning; the importance of an individual's ideas and character; learning by working with others (rather than formal training); and a belief in the importance of growth. Calls into question the validity of the often quoted "training deficit" from which small organisations are said to suffer and suggests that the networking function of the entrepreneur may be less important than other functions and qualities.

Simulating Entrepreneurial Learning

“…They learn from what works and, more importantly, from what doesn't work. (Smilor, 1997: 344) Developing knowledge about entrepreneurial learning is becoming a feature of study in entrepreneurship (Gibb, 1997;Deakins and Freel, 1998;Cope and Watts, 2000;Rae, 2000;Cope, 2003;Hamilton, 2004) and organizational learning in small firms has also been explored (Penn et al, 1998;Anderson and Skinner, 1999). These approaches can be criticized because they lack an explicit definition of 'entrepreneurial learning' while making implicit assumptions.…”

Training and learning strategies of family businesses: an Irish case

“…Thus, it is unlikely that informal learning will have a great deal of impact unless it is supported and Eraut et al (2002), for example, argue that benefits may not be realised if managers are perceived as permissive, rather than positively supportive, in terms of self-directed learning. Such organisational and personal support demands sophisticated management skills and yet the qualities of owner-managers have been shown to be more to do with entrepreneurial abilities than managerial ones (Penn et al, 1998). This suggests that owner-managers may benefit from guidance and support in creating an environment which supports informal learning, in planning learning and capturing it, in learning support skills (for example, listening, questioning, constructive feedback, facilitating) and in using/supporting diagnostic learning tools.…”

“…Yet formal training and development provides only a small part of what is learned at work and the potential for informal on-the-job learning is much less constrained by organisational size (Eraut, 1999). The significance of such informal learning is currently increasing and it has been argued that this type of learning is more appropriate to the needs of the SME and its employees (European Commission, 2002b;Goss and Jones, 1999;Penn et al, 1998).…”

Destination development through entrepreneurship: a comparison of two cases

“…Lynch (1994) reports a general shortage of training and HR support perceived by bed and breakfast operators. On the other hand, Penn, Ang'wa, Forster, Heydon, and Richardson (1998) question the ''training deficit'' that is supposed by authors like Jameson to exist in the SME sector, arguing that the human resource development (HRD) needs of small businesses are qualitatively different from those of large organisations and require different tactics. They note dependence of SME culture upon informal systems such as personal networks and suggest that small organisations are better served by HRD approaches that do not depend upon formal systems such as business plans or training needs analysis.…”