Talent And Knowledge Management in Small Firms : A Case Study

Abstract: The literature falls short in examining talent management (TM) and knowledge management (KM) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In response to this research gap, a case study was motivated to explore how SMEs perform TM and KM activities. As this master thesis had the rare opportunity of conducting interviewees with all the employees and the CEO of a mature small firm located in Sweden, the purpose of this study became to investigate the applicability of existing TM and KM frameworks and identify additional perspectives to adapt the frameworks to the context of mature small firms. The methodology of this case study involved interviews with the CEO and employees of the mature small firm (the case company) and utilised existing TM and KM frameworks as the underlying structure for the interview questions and analysis. The empirical findings were presented in terms of themes, strengths and weaknesses, and issues with respect to TM and KM. The findings were further analysed and compared to previous research in the discussion, as well as recommended focus areas were derived to create a more holistic guidance of TM and KM for mature small firms. In conclusion, the findings of this master thesis corroborated existing literature and did not refute any previous research directly. However, as the empirical findings presented aspects of TM and KM not previously mentioned in literature, additional TM and KM perspectives for mature small firms were suggested to expand and refine the TM and KM frameworks utilised in this study. Additionally, this study has provided more exploration to TM and KM issues in SMEs, which is largely absent in previous research. This master thesis has also contributed guidance for firms (in particular mature small firms) to approach challenges with respect to TM and KM, as well as contributed to the literature with empirical research about TM and KM in SMEs.