Education and training perspectives in a small business context

Citation

Matlay, H. (2005), "Education and training perspectives in a small business context", Education + Training, Vol. 47 No. 8/9. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2005.00447haa.001

Education and training perspectives in a small business context

The current double special issue is the sixth in a series that focused specifically upon the education and training needs of small business owner/managers and their employees. The first special issue was published in the autumn of 2000, to great acclaim and Rick Holden and I decided to continue with an annual double special issue for as long as there was a demand for it. I am pleased to report that, over the years, both success and demand have grown incrementally. As the Guest Editor of the series, I rejoice at the completion of yet another long and exciting journey of learning, discovery and fulfilment. In my experience, there can be few more satisfying moments in the working life of an editor than when commencing an editorial for a completed and promising issue. There are many reasons to feel satisfaction and contentment when approaching the last task before submission of an issue to the publishers. Invariably, the writing of an editorial signals the completion of a long and arduous journey that began some way back, perhaps as far as two years of hope, anxiety, frustration and apprehension. At last, all the revised articles, book reviews and JARs are in and ready to be compiled into a final and tangible product. By all accounts, an editor could sit back and relax in the knowledge that this job is almost done and that readers would soon be able to enjoy the content of another double special issue on education and training in smaller firms. The truth, however, is that most editors can only afford a momentary feeling of satisfaction and relaxation: the problems and challenges of the next issue cannot be ignored or neglected for long.

I am often asked by family members, friends, colleagues, contributors and acquaintances why do I try to do so much for this “neglected and unfashionable” field of academic enquiry? It seems as if I am engaged most of my time in either doing research or disseminating results; planning, refereeing or contributing to yet another special issue; engaged in editorial work in relation to JSBED; networking or attending relevant conferences; or teaching, marking and supervising students in this topic … is it really worth it? For me, there is no simple or even a single answer to this challenging question. The reality of my involvement in the field of small business and enterprise development is very complex, with deep and meaningful implications for both my personal and professional life. It is not the first time that I go on record to say that following a successful career in industry and commerce, I made a conscious and deliberate decision to become an academic and dedicate my time and efforts to education and training issues in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). I was fully aware of the challenges, risks and probable career repercussions of such a move and my only regret is that I have not changed career earlier! It is not arrogance that keeps me going against the tide and despite career setbacks and personal difficulties. What motivates me most is the knowledge that, in common with colleagues and researchers worldwide, we contribute to the development of a filed of research that is still viewed – by an influential and vocal minority – as marginal or even irrelevant to the mainstream “economic reality”.

Those who have met me, heard me present at conferences or read my modest contribution to the small business and enterprise development literature would know that I do not shy away or hold back from criticising such a “dinosaur mentality” even though it continues to represent the dominant economic paradigm in the UK. I do not fear the consequences of exposing it for what it really is: ignorance, short-sightness and shortermism. I confess that I relish being referred to as Dr Small Business and rising to the occasion – whether in a classroom, at a conference or at 10 Downing Street. On occasions, I have been called arrogant, aggressive, belligerent and abrasive … and this is something that I have learnt to live with, in the knowledge that no one bothers to kick a “dead dog”. As the old adage states “if you lift your head above the parapet, then you should expect to be sniped at …!” This I accept, understand and have live with for a long while. Perhaps those who feel the compulsion to snipe at me on a personal level should try and take me on in an honest, upfront and empirically rigorous challenge and prove through their own research that SMEs are marginal or even irrelevant to the socio-economic and political infrastructure of a nation. I would really relish such a direct and upfront challenge. But what amuses me most is when some misguided colleagues try to intimidate me or pull rank or patronise me. It simply does not work with me. Most of my research and contribution to the topic is freely available and in the public domain for anyone to peruse. I sincerely hope that what I have to say still comes across loud and clear, for everyone to hear …

During the last few years I had attended and presented at a number of national and international conferences and events where main speakers and “authorities” expounded in some detail about the impact and contribution that large organisations and transnational corporations make to the UK economy and the stability of nations across the world. Hardly any of such plenary presenters recognised or bothered to mention SMEs and their crucial contribution. For instance, during the plenary session of an important international conference this year, a former academic turned policy maker chose to mention a favourite football team over a dozen times while expounding upon the contemporary “economic reality” in the UK. In contrast, and much to my amusement, SMEs were not even mentioned once! Obviously, this speaker could afford to ignore 99.7 per cent of all the economically active units in the UK (Matlay, 2004) and still hope to make an impact upon the audience! I would like to recommend to such speakers and contributors that they study the ancient texts of Lao Tzu on the futility of all attempts to alter reality to suit their purpose. As far as I am concerned, SMEs have made a significant and continuous contribution to the UK economy, from the industrial revolution and up to present times. I would suggest that to ignore or dismiss such contribution is not only arrogance or ignorance but also a recipe for disaster. The UK’s major and minor competitors are not only acknowledging that a healthy SME sector is crucial to their economy but actively support its future development. To make the point, I take solace in a quotation from one of the greatest economic thinkers of the twentieth century, Schumacher (1973, p. 53):

While many theoreticians – who may not be too closely in touch with real life – are still engaging in the idolatry of large size, with practical people in the actual world there is a tremendous longing and striving to profit, if at all possible, from the convenience, humanity, and manageability of smallness.

I rest my case …

Finally, it has become customary to end an editorial by extending my gratitude to all the contributors to this double special issue: authors, referees, advisors as well as to Dr Rick Holden, Editor and Miss Rachel Murawa, Managing Editor, for all their hard work, patience and commitment to the sixth special edition on education and training issues in smaller firms.

Harry MatlayUniversity of Central England, Birmingham, UK