In one of the many readings that I have done on physics and its prominent representatives, I remember that I came across a phrase that since I read it I have constantly repeated it to directly illustrate what it means to be located in the reality that surrounds us.
The phrase was said by Albert Einstein and, paraphrased, it goes something like this:
The closest thing to madness is to imagine that doing the same thing we will obtain different results
Interesting, right?
When I have had to advise small and medium-sized companies, I have noticed that often the exercise of management in human management seems to ignore the wise words of the physicist and they insist on repeating the same option over and over again, hoping to obtain a different response from their collaborators.
To do justice, as appropriate, to the work and intelligence of those who have the responsibility of managing an SME, I must point out that such insistence on repeating the same actions responds to the fact that in large companies and corporations such practices are not only successful but effective, Therefore, in academia, whether formal (universities) or commercial (educational companies), those responsible for SMEs are urged to make use of the formulas that have made such renowned firms successful. Nothing could be further from the truth!
SMEs have a particular characteristic that goes beyond their commercial activities, number of employees and the market they serve, without forgetting their structure and configuration. In SMEs, human management does not respond to the same laws as in large corporations, it is something like linear physics does not work in the subatomic world where quantum physics reigns.
First of all, SMEs obtain their staff through social networks prior to their creation or generated by the exchange between their clients and collaborators, or at least in most cases. Personnel selection lacks the long processes typical of business emporiums and, in most cases, those who are in charge of it are also responsible for other tasks that have little or nothing to do with the area. Yes, in SMEs the concept of “integral staff” is constantly explored and exploited.
The fact that there is not even an area dedicated to human resources, or that it is part of the Administration, Finance and even the Presidency Unit, does not mean that in SMEs certain steps, typical of talent management, are not respected, but they are combined or simplified, since time is money and the selection must respond to the immediate and not future needs that they have.
Another thing that differentiates SMEs from large companies and corporations is that staff enter them more because they want to do it than because it is convenient for them to do it. Let me explain better: In large companies, their name, trajectory, benefits and their extension offer their employees a different status quo, so that professionals who are targeting such distinctions find it more attractive and convenient to offer their services in them. SMEs have certain budgetary limitations, they do not offer extraordinary benefits although many of them have a very good reputation, but they are excellent environments to strengthen and obtain practical knowledge, in addition to allowing, due to the particular style of their management, to be closer to those who make decisions,who in turn may or may not be related to a member of their social circle and therefore have developed, if so, an emotional bond with her. They are simply there because they want to be.
Based on the above, the exercise of both motivation and the management of human talent has a different connotation, in the case of SMEs the realities of each individual are practically known by everyone, so it is not seen as just another number in the payroll lists but as a genuine member of the team, therefore, the formulas designed to generate commitment, motivation and interest that are used in large companies do not have the same effectiveness in SMEs because in it the attempts must be more similar to the that a family performs than a corporate incentive plan.
However, as I have already pointed out, not always the person who has the responsibility of managing talent is a specialist in the area or knows the intricacies of the subject by heart, they may be empirical or formal professionals whose main orientation is the generation of profits and permanence in the market, so it will not be easy to sensitize them to the generally accepted concepts of "staff maintenance" that are practiced in large companies, much less when they seem not to have the effect observed in other scenarios.
That is why one of the first things I suggest is that those who are responsible for running an SME should be aware that the reasons and motives for which their staff work in their ranks cannot be translated or extrapolated to the concepts that appear in The texts, which are sometimes given by specialists in amazing conferences, must be adjusted to the reality and limitations of the SME, its capacity and scope, without sacrificing the well-being and development of those who make it possible.
It is obvious to conclude that if a person is responsible for selecting, managing and maintaining human talent and that is not his area of expertise and knowledge, he must soak up the basic and significant elements of the area to achieve an appropriate performance, however, he must having a vision adjusted to your capabilities and limitations in order not to waste efforts applying formulas whose result, instead of offering you meaningful answers, will end up frustrating your attempts and with it the genuine interest that you must show to your people.
The management of human talent in SMEs is demanding, challenging and atypical, it requires great sensitivity, sharpness and skill, since being organizations with a small number of collaborators, the impact of a well or badly executed decision or action will spread like wildfire in seconds and will elevate or jeopardize the operation, as the case may be, almost immediately.
