8 theses on personnel work in SMEs
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are known to have a different structure and culture than corporate groups. Their strengths are also different. This must be taken into account in personnel and organizational development.
Owner-managed SMEs usually have the following strengths:
- They have always been customer-oriented. And as niche producers/suppliers, they are used to providing service as well as producing small "series".
- They were never completely "Taylorized". The division of labor and the separation of manual and mental work were never extremely pronounced in them. And:
- Employees are used to communicating directly with colleagues and superiors and reacting flexibly to new requirements.
These strengths are often offset by the following weaknesses:
- Many SMEs lack a systematic organization.
- They have a low level of competence in the areas of organizational and personnel development.
- Their development planning is usually short-term. And:
- Personnel development is often limited to management.
Studies show that only about one-third of SMEs plan their continuing education. And only 15 percent classify their own continuing education planning as "forward-looking. The two SME consultants Frank Linde and Michael Reichl have therefore drawn up the following eight theses on the development of corporate and management culture in SMEs:
Thesis 1: Over the past decades, many SMEs have evolved from craft-based businesses into highly specialized niche providers offering their customers tailored solutions to problems. This requires a new form of collaboration. In addition, the structure of their workforce has changed. That is why their management culture must also change.
Thesis 2: One advantage most SMEs have over large corporations is their flexibility. In order to maintain and build on this strength, they need - in key positions - pragmatically thinking employees with a fairly broad range of qualifications who can recognize changing challenges and requirements early on and respond to them appropriately. This is something that must be taken into account when selecting personnel.
Thesis 3: In order to (further) develop the skills that make up the strengths of their organization, SMEs need appropriate human resources planning. They also need to provide their employees with professional training and, in particular, develop their flexibility and creativity as well as their ability and willingness to work in teams.
Thesis 4: However, it is at least as important that the "owner-entrepreneurs" of the SMEs, who hold key positions in their organization, grant the necessary decision-making powers not only formally but also in real terms in order to have the desired effect.
Thesis 5: This often requires a change in thinking on the part of the owner-entrepreneurs, most of whom are themselves technical experts (e.g., computer scientists, engineers or natural scientists) and have often worked as such for many years. Their self-image and behavior correspond to this. Accordingly, it is important for them to develop their leadership skills in a targeted manner - for example, by obtaining feedback on their leadership behavior and its impact via coaches.
Thesis 6: Many SMEs need external support in personnel development planning, because their decision-makers are rarely personnel and organizational development experts. Therefore, they usually attribute operational problems last to deficiencies in the corporate and management culture as well as in the qualification of employees.
Thesis 7: The external consultants must provide SMEs with manageable concepts for their specific requirements. These must not be "slimmed-down" variants of templates from large companies. Such concepts lead to rigidity and bureaucratization in SMEs - in other words, a loss of their strengths.
Thesis 8: Because SMEs often lack HR and organizational development experts, the external supporters must not be mere "seminar implementers". Their range of services should also include advising and supporting SMEs, particularly in the further development of their (management) culture and in the planning and evaluation of their personnel and organizational development measures.
Authors:
Frank Linde and Michael Reichl are the managing directors of im-prove coaching und training GmbH, Lingen (Ems) and Heldenstein (Bavaria), which supports SMEs in further developing and implementing their leadership and personnel development concepts. www.im-prove.de.
