Learning-oriented leadership in SMEs in volatile and disruptive environments

Bibliographic Data

ID22431019
AuthorsAndreas Wallo (0000-0002-0041-9624, Linköping University), Alan Coetzer (0000-0001-9681-0769, University of Southern Queensland)
Year2026
Pages1-20
Publication date2026-04-14
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean journal of training and development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2046-9012 • E-ISSN: 2046-9020
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/ejtd-08-2025-0159
OpenAlexW7154184570
LanguageEN
References cited86

Purpose This study aims to explore the role of the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) owner-manager as an enabler of employee learning and discuss how digital transformation, as a key form of disruption, poses challenges and opportunities for enacting learning-oriented leadership. Design/methodology/approach The study is conceptual, drawing on literature on workplace learning and SME leadership. It applies Tynjälä’s 3-P model (presage, process, product) of workplace learning and the organisational agility perspective to analyse learning-oriented leadership in SMEs. Findings Four themes are used to describe factors that simultaneously create challenges and opportunities for workplace learning in SMEs: resource availability, limited access to formal training, the condition of “smallness” and relational dynamics. By using learning-oriented leadership, emphasising informal learning, leveraging digital tools and encouraging developmental learning cultures, SME owner-managers enhance their firm’s agility amid disruption. Research limitations/implications The paper lays the foundation for future research examining how learning-oriented leadership affects SME innovation and survival in dynamic environments. Practical implications The findings suggest that SME owner-managers can strengthen organisational adaptability by embedding learning in daily work, leveraging low-cost digital resources and intentionally shaping relational conditions that support informal learning. Originality/value The paper advances research by conceptualising learning-oriented leadership in SMEs under volatile conditions. It integrates leadership, workplace learning and agility perspectives into a novel framework that highlights the distinctive conditions of small firms and positions learning-oriented leadership as a strategic response to disruption.

Adaptability · Ambidexterity · Competitive advantage · Enabling · Informal learning · Strategic leadership · Digital Transformation in Industry · Educational Leadership and Innovation · Organizational Learning and Leadership

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