The determinants of management training within smaller firms in the UK. What role does strategy play?

It is agreed that within the UK there is a poor level of investment in formal training and development. This is particularly evident within the small firm sector. The literature, which considers this issue, concludes that there are a number of reasons why small firm owners are, on the whole, reluctant to invest in such training for themselves and their employees. Such reasons include, ignorance of benefits, time issues, fear that training will enhance employee mobility and, critically, that there is little evidence to indicate that investment in training and development leads to enhanced firm performance. On the basis that there has been some debate and empirical investigation regarding why training does not take place, this paper takes an alternative stance and considers what issues and processes might underpin the decision to invest in training ‐ particularly management training. Findings are drawn from empirical research on a sample of firms where investment had been made in such training in the last 24 months; the indications being that such investment was not strategic or proactive but prompted by problems which threatened business performance.