世界经济论坛-中小企业的未来准备：动员中小企业部门推动广泛的可持续性和繁荣（英）-2021.11-43页_17mb

Summary of "Future Readiness of SMEs: Mobilizing the SME Sector to Drive Widespread Sustainability and Prosperity"

Core Content

This white paper by the World Economic Forum explores the concept of future readiness in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies. It emphasizes the importance of SMEs in driving sustainable growth, positive societal impact, and adaptive capacity in the face of global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, technological disruption, and socioeconomic inequality.

SMEs are defined as businesses with fewer than 250 full-time employees (FTEs) or a turnover of less than €1.5 billion. However, the report also acknowledges the emergence of mid-sized enterprises, which may have larger FTEs or turnover but still fall short of the scale of large multinational corporations.

The report highlights that SMEs are not inherently disadvantaged by their size or location in terms of future readiness. Instead, their ability to reconfigure resources, mobilize networks, and adapt their business models is key to success. It also underscores the importance of orientation, business model flexibility, and networks as core drivers of future readiness.

Main Points

1. Future Readiness Defined

• Future readiness is a set of organizational capabilities and orientations that allow SMEs to:
  • Respond to shocks and disruptions
  • Seize opportunities
  • Generate sustainable value across social, environmental, and economic dimensions

2. Three Core Characteristics of Future-Ready SMEs

• Sustainable Growth: The ability to generate lasting financial strength through innovative business models, products, and services
• Societal Impact: The ability to align with ESG goals and positively influence society through business practices, stakeholder engagement, and contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Adaptive Capacity: The ability to resiliently respond to adversity and quickly adapt to market changes

3. Key Drivers of Future Readiness

The report identifies three core drivers and 11 sub-drivers that influence future readiness:

Core Drivers:

• Orientation: The culture and values that guide an organization’s decisions and actions
• Business Model Flexibility: The ability to adjust strategies to meet changing conditions
• Networks: Formal and informal relationships that enhance business effectiveness and impact

Sub-Drivers:

• Ability to reconfigure resources
• Diversity of social relationships
• Access to valuable resources
• Ability to mobilize networks
• Ability to redeploy resources
• Flexibility to refine strategy
• Autonomy
• Competitive aggressiveness
• Innovativeness
• Proactiveness
• Risk-taking

4. Challenges for SMEs

SMEs face several challenges that hinder their future readiness:

• Talent acquisition and retention: 52.5%
• Survival and expansion: 43.8%
• Funding and access to capital: 35.7%
• Non-supportive policy environment: 21%
• Maintaining strong culture and purpose: 20%

5. Opportunities for SMEs

Despite these challenges, SMEs have significant opportunities to:

• Leverage their agility and speed to innovate and adapt
• Use technology and networks to drive sustainable growth and impact
• Align with global sustainability goals and become key contributors to inclusive economic growth

Key Highlights

• Global Representation: The report includes case studies from all six continents, showcasing the diversity of SMEs and their potential for global impact
• Case Study Insights: The case studies demonstrate how SMEs can:
  • Combine business with sustainability (e.g., Alltournative)
  • Use networks for social and environmental impact (e.g., DBL Group)
  • Drive innovation and growth through strategic orientation (e.g., Kuza, Leven, PALO IT)
  • Align with global initiatives and international standards (e.g., UN Global Compact, B Corp certification)

The Way Forward

To enhance future readiness, SMEs and policy-makers must:

• Develop and maintain strong orientations that support sustainable growth and positive impact
• Improve access to resources, including financial, informational, and regulatory support
• Build and leverage networks to enhance resilience, agility, and collaboration
• Support SMEs with the right infrastructure and regulatory frameworks to thrive in the post-COVID-19 recovery and global sustainability agenda

Conclusion

This report serves as a call to action for SMEs and mid-sized companies to mobilize their potential in driving sustainable and inclusive economic growth. It emphasizes the importance of strategic orientation, business model flexibility, and networks in enabling SMEs to become future-ready and resilient in a rapidly changing world.