The 20Twenty Leadership Programme was developed by Cardiff Metropolitan University as an executive education programme to be delivered within South Wales to small businesses. It is funded by the European Social Fund, administered by the Welsh European Funding Office and has the key aim of developing small and medium sized enterprises’ growth potential via a range of leadership and management skills, including a focus on ‘soft’ skills. The aim of this paper is to place the 20Twenty Leadership Programme within the wider context of entrepreneurship policy and small and medium sized enterprise training initiatives in particular, and then to examine the rationale and delivery methods of the Programme in relation to these. It also reflects on the Programme’s success (or otherwise) to date where possible. Finally, the paper seeks to suggest fruitful areas of further research both in terms of the 20Twenty Leadership Programme itself and also with regard to evaluation in relation to other parallel programmes and to small and medium sized enterprise training initiatives more generally.
AcemogluDAghionPViolanteG (2001) Deunionization, technical changes, and inequality. Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy55(1): 229–264.
2.
AcsZJParsonsWTracyS (2008) High-Impact Firms: Gazelles Revisited, Washington, DC: Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy.
AghionPHowittP (2002) Wage inequality and the new economy. Oxford Review of Economic Policy18(3): 306–323.
5.
AlmeidaPKogutB (1997) The exploration of technological diversity and geographic localization in innovation: Start-up firms in the semiconductor industry. Small Business Economics9(1): 21–31.
6.
Aragon-SanchezABarba-AragonISanz-ValleR (2003) Effect of training on business results. International Journal of Human Resource Management14(6): 956–980.
7.
ArshedNCarterSMasonC (2014) The ineffectiveness of entrepreneurship policy: Is policy formulation to blame?Small Business Economics43(3): 639–659.
8.
AudretschDBThurikAR (2001) What is new about the new economy: Sources of growth in the managed and entrepreneurial economies. Industrial and Corporate Change10(1): 17–34.
9.
BeckmanCMBurtonMDO’ReillyC (2007) Early teams: The impact of team demography on VC financing and going public. Journal of Business Venturing22(2): 147–173.
10.
BergemannD (2005) The financing of innovation: Learning and stopping. RAND Journal of Economics36(4): 719–752.
11.
BermanEBoundJGrilichesZ (1994) Changes in demand for skilled labour within US manufacturing: Evidence from the Annual Survey of Manufactures. Quarterly Journal of Economics109(2): 367–397.
12.
Bilbao-OsorioBRodríguez-PoseA (2004) From R&D to innovation and economic growth in the EU. Growth and Change35(4): 434–455.
13.
BirchDL (1981) Who creates jobs?Public Interest65: 3–14.
14.
BlackG (2004) The Geography of Small Firm Innovation, Norwell, MA: Kluwer.
15.
BlackburnRKitchingJHartM (2008) Growth Challenges for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: A UK–US Comparative Study, Kingston upon Thames: Small Business Research Centre, Kingston University.
16.
BlackburnRSmallboneD (2011) Policy support for SMEs. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy29(4): 571–576.
17.
BoltonJE (1971) Report of the committee of enquiry on small firms, Bolton Report. London: HMSO.
18.
BoshykY (2002) Action Learning Worldwide: Experiences of Leadership and Organizational Development, Basingstoke: Macmillan.
19.
BoucherGConwayCDer MeerEVan (2003) Tiers of engagement by universities in their region’s development. Regional Studies37(9): 887–897.
20.
BraczykH-JCookePHeidenreichM (1998) Regional Innovation Systems: The Role of Governance in a Globalised World, London: UCL Press.
21.
BristowGMorganK (2006) De-instrutrialization, the new service economy, and the search for post-industrial prosperity. In: HooperAPunterJ (eds) Capital Cardiff 1975–2020: Regeneration, Competitiveness and the Urban Environment, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, pp. 47–70.
22.
BrooksbankDMorseLThomasB (2001) An assessment of the management and practice of training for businesses in South East Wales. International Journal of Applied Management2(3): 79–106.
23.
Cardiff & Co (2010) Cardiff the Capital Opportunity: Life Sciences, Cardiff: Cardiff & Co.
24.
CefisEMarsiliO (2006) Survivor: The role of innovation in firm’s survival. Research Policy35(5): 626–641.
25.
CharlesD (2003) Universities and territorial development: Reshaping the regional role of English Universities. Local Economy18(1): 7–20.
26.
CherwitzRSullivanC (2002) Intellectual entrepreneurship and outreach: Uniting expertise and passion. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement7(3): 223–233.
27.
ChristensenCM (1997) The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
28.
ChristensenCMRaynorME (2003) The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
29.
CliftonN (2008) The ‘creative class’ in the UK: An initial analysis. Geografiska Annaler Series B90(1): 63–82.
30.
CliftonN (2013) Location, quality of place, and outcomes; applying the ‘3Ts’ model to the UK. In: FloridaRAsheimBGertlerM (eds) The Creative Class Goes Global, London: Routledge, pp. 183–209.
31.
CliftonNKeastRPickernellD (2010) Network structure, knowledge governance, and firm performance: Evidence from innovation networks and SMEs in the UK. Growth and Change41(3): 337–373.
32.
CliftonNDavidAGartnerS (2014) Epilogue; reflecting on regional culture, company culture, their interactions and the challenges emerging from the crisis. In: CliftonNGartnerSRehfeldD (eds) Companies, Cultures, and the Region: Interactions and Outcomes, Oxford: Taylor and Francis, pp. 155–166.
33.
CliftonNHugginsRMorganB (2010) Creative Leadership and SME Competitiveness: 20Twenty Leadership Programme Business Survey, Cardiff: Cardiff School of Management, UWIC.
34.
Clifton NC (2000) The Future of the SME: Can Wales Sustain and Enterprise Culture? WEI Working Paper Series, Paper 5, Trefforest, Welsh Enterprise Institute (WEI), University of Glamorgan.
35.
CoadARaoR (2008) Innovation and firm growth in high-tech sectors: A quantile regression approach. Research Policy37(4): 633–648.
36.
CookePHugginsR (2001) Il cluster dell’alta tecnologia di Cambridge. Sviluppo Locale16: 34–60.
37.
Cooke P and Clifton N (2007) Technology, talent and tolerance in European cities: A comparative analysis. End of Award Report. Grant No. RES-000-23-0467. Swindon: ESRC.
38.
CookePCliftonNOleagaM (2005) Social capital, firm embeddedness and regional development. Regional Studies39(8): 1065–1077.
39.
CookePUrangaMGEtxebarriaG (1997) Regional systems of innovation: Institutional and organisational dimensions. Research Policy26(4/5): 475–491.
40.
CookePCliftonN (2005) Visionary, precautionary and constrained ‘varieties of devolution’ in the economic governance of the devolved UK territories. Regional Studies39(4): 437–451.
41.
Cooke P, Clifton N and Huggins R (2001) Competitiveness & the knowledge economy. Regional Industrial Research Report No. 30. Cardiff: Centre for Advanced Studies.
42.
CrifoP (2008) Skill supply and biased technical change. Labour Economics15(5): 812–830.
43.
DadaOJackSGeorgeM (2015) University-business engagement franchising and geographical distance: A case study of a business leadership programme. Regional Studies. DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2014.995614.
44.
EstesC (2004) Promoting student-centred learning in experiential education. Journal of Experiential Education27(2): 141–161.
45.
FloridaR (2002) The economic geography of talent. Annals of the Association of American Geographers92(4): 743–755.
46.
Foreman-PeckJMakepeaceGMorganB (2006) Growth and profitability of small and medium-sized enterprises: Some Welsh evidence. Regional Studies40(4): 307–319.
47.
FreemanCSoeteL (1997) The Economics of Industrial Innovation, Abingdon: Routledge.
48.
Frenz M and Oughton C (2006) Innovation in the UK regions and devolved administrations: A review of the literature. Final report for the Department of Trade and Industry and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. London: Department of Trade and Industry.
49.
FritschMSchwirtenC (1999) Enterprise-university cooperation and the role of public research institutions in regional innovation systems. Industry and Innovation6(1): 69–83.
50.
GeorgiadisAPitelisCN (2014) The impact of employees’ and managers’ training on the performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises: Evidence from a randomized natural experiment in the UK service sector. British Journal of Industrial Relations. DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12094.
51.
GibbAA (2000) SME policy, academic research and the growth of ignorance, mythical concepts, myths, assumptions, rituals and confusions. International Small Business Journal18(3): 13–35.
52.
GibbAA (1997) ‘Small firms’ training and competitiveness. Building upon the small business as a learning organisation. International Small Business Journal15(13): 13–29.
53.
GibbAA (2009) Meeting the development needs of owner-managed small enterprise: A discussion of the centrality of action learning. Action Learning: Research and Practice6(3): 209–227.
54.
GoldsteinHRenaultC (2004) Contributions of universities to regional economic development: A quasi experimental approach. Regional Studies38(7): 733–746.
55.
GrayDEEkinciYGoregaokarH (2011) Coaching SME managers: Business development or personal therapy? A mixed methods study. International Journal of Human Resource Management22(4): 863–882.
56.
GunasekaraC (2006a) Leading the horses to water: The dilemmas of academics and university managers in regional engagement. Journal of Sociology42(2): 145–163.
57.
GunasekaraC (2006b) Dilemmas in regional university-industry research collaboration. Local Economy21(2): 166–179.
58.
HadjimanolisADicksonK (2000) Innovation strategies of SMEs in Cyprus, a small developing country. International Small Business Journal18(4): 62–79.
59.
HarrisLCOgbonnaE (2006) Initiating strategic planning. Journal of Business Research59(1): 100–111.
60.
HeimonenT (2012) What are the factors that affect innovation in growing SMEs?European Journal of Innovation Management15(1): 122–144.
61.
HenleyA (2005) On regional growth convergence in Great Britain. Regional Studies39(9): 1245–1260.
62.
HenleyANorburyH (2011) An intervention to raise leadership effectiveness among SME owner-managers in Wales: An initial assessment. Entrepreneurship and Innovation12(4): 283–295.
63.
Hewitt-DundasN (2006) Resource and capability constraints to innovation in large and small plants. Small Business Economics26(3): 257–277.
64.
HooperA (2006) Introduction: From ‘Coal Metropolis’ to ‘Capital Cardiff’. In: HooperAPunterJ (eds) Capital Cardiff 1975–2020: Regeneration, Competitiveness and the Urban Environment, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, pp. 1–16.
65.
HugginsRThompsonP (2010) UK Competitiveness Index 2010, Cardiff: University of Wales Institute.
66.
HugginsRThompsonP (2014) A network-based view of regional growth. Journal of Economic Geography14(3): 511–545.
67.
HugginsRThompsonP (2015a) Entrepreneurship, innovation and regional growth: A network theory. Small Business Economics. DOI: 10.1007/s11187-015-9643-3.
68.
HugginsRThompsonP (2015b) Culture and place-based development: A socio-economic analysis. Regional Studies49(1): 130–159.
69.
HugginsRProkopDSteffensonR (2014) The engagement of entrepreneurial firms with universities. Journal of General Management40(1): 23–51.
70.
IvesY (2008) What is “Coaching”? An exploration of conflicting paradigms. International Journal of Evidence-Based Coaching and Mentoring6(2): 100–113.
71.
JayawarnaDMacphersonAWilsonA (2007) Training commitment and performance in manufacturing SMEs incidence, intensity and approaches. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development14(2): 321–328.
72.
JehangirMDominicPDDDowneAG (2011) Business resources impact on e-commerce capability and e-commerce value: An empirical investigation. Trends in Applied Sciences Research6(9): 1063–1070.
73.
JensenMC (1993) The modern industrial revolution, exit, and the failure of internal control systems. Journal of Finance68(3): 831–880.
74.
JohnstonAHugginsR. Drivers of university–industry links: The case of knowledge-intensive business service firms in rural locations. Regional Studies2015. DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2015.1009028.
75.
JonesKSambrookSAPittawayL (2014) Action learning: How learning transfers from entrepreneurs to small firms. Action Learning: Research and Practice11(2): 131–166.
76.
JonesPBeynonMJPickernellD (2013) Evaluating the impact of different training methods on SME business performance. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy31(1): 56–81.
77.
Keep E (2000) Learning organisations, lifelong learning and the mystery of the vanishing employers. RP 8, SKOPE. Economic and Social Research Council Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance, University of Warwick, Coventry.
78.
KeindlB (2000) Competitive dynamics and new business models for SMEs in the virtual marketplace. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship5(1): 73–85.
79.
KemberD (2009) Promoting student-centred forms of learning across an entire university. Higher Education58(1): 1–13.
80.
KitagawaF (2004) Universities and regional advantage: Higher education and innovation policies in English regions. European Planning Studies12(6): 835–852.
81.
KitchingJ (2008) Rethinking UK small employers’ skills policies and the role of workplace learning. International Journal of Training and Development12(2): 100–120.
82.
KitsonMWilkinsonF (2003) Labour mobility, training and labour force flexibility. In: CoshAHughesA (eds) Enterprise Challenged, Cambridge: ESRC Centre for Business Research, Cambridge University, pp. 32–44.
83.
KoteyBFolkerC (2007) Employee training in SMEs: Effect of size and firm type – Family and non family. Journal of Small Business Management45(2): 214–238.
84.
KwongCCYThompsonPCheungCW-M (2012) The role of environment in fostering conductive entrepreneurial learning: Teaching the ‘art’ of entrepreneurship in boot camps. Journal of General Management38(1): 45–71.
85.
LeitchCMMcMullanCHarrisonRT (2009) Leadership development in SMEs: An action learning approach. Action Learning: Research and Practice6(3): 243–263.
MatlayH (2004) Contemporary training initiatives in Britain: A small business perspective. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development11(4): 504–513.
88.
MellanderCFloridaRStolarickK (2011) Here to stay – The effects of community satisfaction on the decision to stay. Spatial Economic Analysis6(1): 5–24.
89.
MorganB (2002) Higher education and regional economic development in Wales: An opportunity for demonstrating the efficacy of devolution in economic development. Regional Studies36(1): 65–73.
90.
MuellerSVoleryTvon SiemensB (2012) What do entrepreneurs actually do? An observational study of entrepreneurs’ everyday behavior in start-up and growth stages. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice36(5): 995–1017.
91.
O’ReganNGhobadianA (2002) Effective strategic planning in small and medium sized firms. Management Decision40(7): 663–671.
92.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2010) OECD Reviews of Innovation Policy: Synthesis of Country Reports, Paris, France: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
93.
PackhamGBrooksbankDMillerC (2005) Climbing the mountain: Management practice adoption in growth orientated firms in Wales. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development12(4): 482–497.
94.
Parkinson M and Karecha J (2006) Cardiff: A competitive European City? Final report. Cardiff: European Institute for Urban Affairs.
95.
PickernellDPackhamGJonesP (2011) Graduate entrepreneurs are different: They access more resources?International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research17(2): 183–202.
96.
PickernellDCliftonNSenyardJ (2009) Think global, act local? Universities, SMEs, and innovation frameworks. Industry and Higher Education23(2): 79–89.
97.
PickernellDSenyardJJonesP (2013) New and young firms Entrepreneurship policy and the role of government – Evidence from the Federation of Small Businesses survey. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development20(2): 358–382.
98.
PioreMJSabelCF (1984) The Second Industrial Divide Possibilities for Prosperity, New York, NY: Basic Books.
99.
ReillyK (2003) The engaged institution, the twenty-first century, and the new university extension. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement8(1): 29–36.
100.
RevonsRW (1980) Action Learning: New Techniques for Management, London: Blond and Briggs.
101.
RevonsRW (1993) Action learning: Its terms and character. Management Decision21(1): 39–50.
102.
RigbyM (2004) Training in Spain: An evaluation of the continuous training agreement (1993–2001) with particular reference to SMEs. Human Resource Development International7(1): 23–37.
103.
RobertsonPSmithKvon TunzelmannN (2009) Innovation in low and medium-technology industries. Research Policy38(3): 441–446.
104.
RobsonPBennettR (2000) SME growth: The relationship with business advice and external collaboration. Small Business Economics15(3): 193–208.
105.
RomerPM (1990) Endogenous technological change. Journal of Political Economy98(5): S71–S102.
106.
RuttenRBoekemaF (2004) The spatial dimension of inter-firm learning: Case study and conceptualization. In: CookePPiccalugaA (eds) Regional Economies as Knowledge Laboratories, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 181–196.
107.
SambrookS (2003) E-learning in small organisations. Education + Training45(8/9): 506–516.
108.
SargentA (1996) Training for growth: How can education assist in the development of small businesses. Industrial and Commercial Training28(2): 3–9.
109.
ShaneS (2009) Why encouraging more people to become entrepreneurs is bad public policy. Small Business Economics33(2): 141–149.
110.
SimonMHoughtonSMAquinoK (2000) Cognitive biases, risk perception, and venture formation: How individuals decide to start companies. Journal of Business Venturing15(2): 113–134.
111.
South East Wales Economic Forum (2010) Enter the Dragon Economy: Review 2010, Cardiff: South East Wales Economic Forum.
112.
StaceyR (1992) Managing the Unknowable: Strategic Boundaries between Order and Chaos in Organizations, San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
113.
StewartJ-A (2009) Evaluation of an action learning programme for leadership development of SME leaders in the UK. Action Learning: Research and Practice6(2): 131–148.
114.
StoreyDJ (2004) Exploring the link, among small firms, between management training and firm performance: A comparison between the UK and other OECD countries. International Journal of Human Resource Management15(1): 112–130.
115.
ThorpeRCopeJRamM (2009) Leadership development in small- and medium-sized enterprises: The case for action learning. Action Learning: Research and Practice6(3): 201–208.
116.
TurokIRacoM (2000) Developing expertise in small and medium-sized enterprises: An evaluation of consultancy support. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy18(4): 409–428.
117.
Welsh Assembly Government (2008) Skills that Work for Wales: A Skills and Employment Strategy and Action Plan, Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.
118.
WilliamsNHugginsR (2013) Supporting entrepreneurship in deprived communities: A vision too far?Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development20(1): 165–180.
119.
ZhuKXuSKraemerKL (2006) The global diffusion and convergence of E-commerce: Cross-country analyses. In: KraemerKLDedrickJMelvilleNP (eds) GLOBAL E-Commerce: Impacts of National Environment and Policy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 345–384.
