Discussion about the strategic direction of a Business cooperation to provide the basis for cross-company talent management in German small and medium-sized companies (SME)

Abstract

In a panel survey, representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have stated that Talent Management in SMEs should be improved. After evaluating the available literature, this statement is not surprising, as Talent Management mapped in the organization poses challenges for SMEs. An essential aspect in this context is the limitation of available resources. This article aims to theoretically develop a resource-saving way for preparing a potential successor (manage a talent) for his or her role as a future entrepreneur in SMEs. To achieve this, eleven entrepreneurs derived from the distribution of economic sectors were interviewed. The answers were then evaluated with the help of qualitative content analysis. It was found that the results gained in the interviews confirm the findings from the literature. The fight for employees and the fight for talent has also arrived in SMEs, whereby a differentiation between employees and talents in an exclusive talent management approach (keyword: elite education) did not play a role in the considerations of the interview partners. The participants agree that one must take care of ones’ staff and ones’ talents as a company. Every company has established the existing Human Resources (HR) Management so that the company can work. A deeper examination of HR Management topics in general or in-house Talent Management was largely rudimentary. Most participants are open to business cooperation. An essential factor that would prevent business cooperation is the competition problem and the risk of being worse off. At least one advocate could be found for each basic orientation of the business cooperation developed in the article. The approach of establishing cooperation along the value chain was the most well-received. Even if the results are consistent with the findings from the literature, it is crucial that these research results are based on a small database. Theoretically, several possible strategic orientations for business cooperation could be developed, which have not yet been listed in the overview of cooperation characteristics. Whether these theoretical considerations prove themselves in practice would have to be examined in more detail. The article is suitable for companies who do not have HR- specialists, want to get a quick overview of the topic of Talent Management, seek an approach on how to assess companies according to the factor competition to prepare business cooperation, seek an approach to thinking through a resource-saving development of their talents across companies.