Analysis · Business
Why Asking Business Owners What Training They Need Can Miss the Gap
By AWEI · AI-compiled · Published · Analysis prepared · 1 source · doi.org
A business owner can understand operating costs and profit margins yet struggle to name the next skill the business needs. In Alison Morrison and Sue Bergin-Seers’ 2002 study, some owners recognised weaknesses and sought outside expertise, but identifying learning needs remained a problem. One research visit itself brought previously unrecognised issues to an owner’s attention.
That tension offers a more specific explanation for weak engagement with business support than simple resistance to learning. Owners described previous programs as overly theoretical, poorly suited to small businesses and inconvenient. They also reported receiving so much support information that identifying relevant help became difficult. More information did not necessarily make the choice clearer.
The researchers sent questionnaires to 3,750 businesses in western Melbourne, receiving 409 usable responses. They selected 20 businesses for detailed case interviews using criteria including growth ambitions, past growth and expected growth in turnover and employment. Standard interview protocols and two interviewers supported consistency; transcript analysis identified recurring themes.
The growth-oriented owners learned through practical experience and relationships with suppliers, customers and other businesses. Yet these existing learning habits did not ensure that they could specify all their support needs. The authors consequently proposed a mentor who would work with each business to identify needs and connect it with relevant support, alongside workplace learning and networks.
This was an exploratory study, not a trial of mentoring. The regional setting, low survey participation and deliberate case selection limit generalisation. Interview accounts cannot establish that learning caused growth, or that personalised support would outperform a course catalogue. The proposed arrangement remained untested in this research.
The useful implication concerns how support begins: discussing an actual business difficulty may reveal needs that a request for training preferences misses. For providers, that makes identifying the problem part of the service itself, rather than something owners must complete before seeking help.
Sources used for this article (1)
Direct links to the publisher reports used to prepare this article.
- Source 1
- Pro‐growth small businesses: learning “architecture” Alison Morrison, Sue Bergin‐Seers
