Robin Snell

Exploring Local Competences Salient for Expanding Small Businesses

Management competences significant for large and medium‐size companies in the West may not be universally applicable. Describes which qualitative, inductive approaches were used to identify competences important in expanding smaller businesses in a particular locality (Hong Kong). Identifies competences generally salient for growth as: global‐oriented outlook for the business; analytical market approach; readiness to seize relevant opportunities; and systematic financial management. Considers an additional set of competences salient for growing companies with less than 50 employees, namely: vivid vision/purpose/ mission; ability to conceptualize or formulate company strategy; strategic approach to human resource development; and promoting a learning culture. Also identifies several competences relevant to all small businesses in Hong Kong, whether growing or non‐growing.

Managers’ Development of Ethical Awareness and Personal Morality

This article develops a research agenda, the aim of which is to cast light on how managers, during their everyday working lives, develop and change their own understandings of ethical practice. The ultimate purpose of the proposed research would be to inform how, within formal management education and development interventions or programmes, managers or aspiring managers may be prepared to address the ethical dimensions permeating managerial work.

Congenial Ways of Learning: So Near and Yet so Far

“Real time” experiential learning for managers appears to be taxing on the emotions and tough on the nerves. How readily can this be changed by equipping managers to learn more congenially? It is argued that such a mission borders on the impossible. Some of the psychological and cultural barriers that would be encountered are examined and the strong, opposing institutional forces that will need to be contended with are considered.

Graduating from the School of Hard Knocks

Research suggests that learning at work involves needless psychological distress among managers. It is proposed that management educators make it a priority to equip managers to adopt better learning practices. A picture of learning practices at work that promise to be “emotionally better” has been assembled and presented. There is more than a hint of reservation in the conclusion.

Turning Bad Times into Good Times‐And Good Times into Better Ones

Four main types of learning pattern are identified: solo problem solving, collaboration, modelling and other participant observation, and the skills involved in coping with each are suggested. The issues of distress and joy in learning, and how distress can be reduced and joy enhanced, are examined.

The Tutor‐Learner Interaction in Management Development: Part V: Facilitating Learning from the De‐Briefing of Exercises

In previous parts of this series, we have examined the behaviour used by tutors to facilitate learning when involved in giving inputs or leading discussions. In this paper, we concentrate on those sessions where the tutors interventions followed some form of task activity by the learners, e.g. exercises, case studies, structured experiences, role plays, games or simulations. This differentiates between “de‐brief” (which follows learner task activity) and discussion, which does not. As in the other papers in the series, this paper is based on research findings.