Four simple, tried and tested steps for turning a Small or Medium Enterprise into a real team: efficient, incisive and well-coordinated.

Small and Medium Enterprises represent a vast chunk of the world economy. The term generally refers to companies consisting of no more than 250 employees, generally with an annual turnover of up to 50 million euros: according to the European Commission, 99% of companies in the EU area belong to this category.

In 2021 alone, SMEs employed 84 million workers in Europe, contributing an average value of around 56% to the economy. It’s a significant figure, and shows how these types of companies are full-fledged protagonists on the European economic scene.

These businesses are often family-owned and have many years of experience under their belts. They employ a wide range of professional figures with a variety of levels, training and duties. Generally speaking, the family running the business still acts as the nerve centre for managing work, with an old-style, pyramid-shaped organizational structure.

To stay competitive on today’s market, it is now essential for SMEs to leave behind old organizational structures and adapt to new methods for organizing and managing human resources.

Corporate Values: a solid foundation for working towards growth.

When it comes to the concept of corporate values, small business owners tend to be sceptical and even think they are the preserve of large corporations. In actual fact, corporate values are the cornerstone of any business: they have the power to create synergy and team spirit, and to improve organizations at every level.

But which values can propel a business onto a new journey of growth and change?

Let’s take a look at some of them.

• The importance of dialogue and training

Communication is a core element within any group. If a company communicates its needs, priorities and problems in an appropriate, transparent way, the team will be more likely to find cohesive, effective solutions and will feel more engaged as an integral part of activities, which become their personal goals for growth and knowledge.

In addition, professional development and training courses – especially given the digital transformation underway – act as talent incubators that stimulate the exchange of ideas and the employee’s personal and professional growth, all of which is beneficial to the company.

• A tidy, welcoming workplace

The space we work in is important. For anyone running a company, no matter how small, it is vital to provide staff with the right spaces and ensure to create a pleasant environment. This applies whether it’s an office, a warehouse or any other location in which your employees can express their potential to the full.

For SMEs these spaces can be rearranged, making them into a place for running small team building activities either during or after business hours. This is an excellent way to nurture people’s familiarity with the workplace and create cohesion and a sense of camaraderie between staff and management.

• The value of leadership

What does being a Leader mean? Fundamentally, the word means acting as a guide for your company. It means identifying shared values and a clear, shared purpose to believe in; conveying not just your passion for the everyday running of the business, but also a moral code shared by the group.

Lately, there has been greater awareness of the importance of implementing, even partially, shared leadership: a management style that does not impose its decisions from on high, but analyses and shares them with the team. The goal is to distribute responsibility among all the team members, drawing out their talent and creativity to help the business.

• The power of listening

Last but not least is listening, which includes and completes all the previous points. While communication is fundamental, being able to listen could be considered the essential ingredient of any team.

A boss who listens to their employees so they can express their ideas, doubts and suggest solutions to problems, becomes a leader with the power to transform those employees into a team of trusted, well-coordinated collaborators, fostering a sense of wellbeing that has a positive impact on the whole company.

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