In SMEs, team efficiency and motivation count more than vision. Training assumes a strategic role and the first to get involved are the entrepreneurs themselves, to the point that almost one in three do it. Even the leading entrepreneur changes his role in the company and, more than a guide, becomes a weaver of balances and relationships in an increasingly “remote” team management. To say this is a research by Banca Ifis, carried out in collaboration with Format Research, on a sample of over 500 Italian SMEs.
Leadership is considered by small and medium-sized enterprises to be crucial in the efficient management of work groups. But what characteristics must leaders have in the new normal? For 61% first of all they must be able to motivate, then be able to plan the work as 45% say and for one in 3 SMEs (36%) demonstrate problem solving skills. Other factors obtain a much more limited share of consensus: such as empathy and integrity, both at 12% of preferences, and then vision, identified only by 7% of the sample.
The size of the companies also affects the responses to the Banca Ifis survey – which itself worked on leadership and remote team management with specific training programs. If we consider companies with more than 50 employees, for example, clarity and the level of delegation are essential. Almost 90% have a clear and defined organization, while 78% count on leaders ready to delegate. Among the main problems faced by companies in one out of five cases is the difficulty in motivating the members of the group, the relationship with difficult elements, the management of conflicts and information flows. The pandemic emergency has revealed that team management and motivation must be considered strategic, especially when high percentages of smart working are used. This is also why the demand for training with a focus on remote networking and remote engagement has grown.
What emerges from the research is also the progressive awareness of SMEs of the importance of leadership in the company for the achievement of objectives: 32% of companies say they have already organized or will organize special courses for top entrepreneurs, while 23% % aims, by 2023, on the training of managerial leadership to improve the quality and efficiency of the working environment. Training is considered the primary path followed by most companies even when it comes to cultivating new skills in the company: 78% focus on internal staff, while 22% look for new resources on the market. A figure that rises to 35% in fashion. To improve the level of employee involvement with respect to company objectives, the factors considered important are listening to the needs of individual collaborators, as 60% of the sample say, the promotion of teamwork (53%), the implementation of systems rewards (46%). On the other hand, benefits, such as subsidies on mortgages and loans and insurance plans, play a more marginal role