The construction industry is a versatile sector that requires the effort of managers to engage in practices that create innovation. Management practices are the skills, knowledge, resources, and culture needed to attain successful innovation. Regardless of the importance of management practices, an established management practice that demonstrates how managers’ practices might boost innovation is limited. A review of literature associated with management practices and innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry led to the determination that a gap exists in the body of work about construction industry management practices and innovation in SMEs. The exploratory qualitative study investigated the research question: What roles do management practices have in innovation in U.S. SMEs in the construction industry? Study participants were 12 middle managers employed in small- and medium-sized construction organizations with three or more years of experience. Data analysis identified two themes. First, improving project management had three subthemes of sharing information, bringing new ideas, and efficient project management. The improving competitive performance theme had three subthemes of effective delivery of service, knowledge exchange and collaboration, and effective leadership, categorized as management practices. The interpretation of themes and subthemes provided enough information to determine that management practices and innovation in U.S. SME construction companies involved improving project management and improving competitive performance. The study results could be used to improve innovation capabilities in SMEs in the construction industry through the improvement of knowledge sharing practices, internally and externally.

Presenting new theoretical and practical insights and models grounded in descriptive case studies, Innovation in Small Construction Firms promotes the benefits of innovation within and between small and medium sized (SMEs) construction firms.

Innovative Human Resource Management for SMEs presents a comprehensive solution to the challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in managing their human resources in today's rapidly changing business landscape. These SMEs often operate with limited resources and lack dedicated HR departments, making it difficult to compete for top talent against larger companies. Moreover, staying abreast of innovative HR practices can be overwhelming, leaving SMEs uncertain about how to enhance employee engagement, well-being, and overall organizational success. Edited by esteemed academic scholars, this book focuses on contemporary and practical strategies, empowering HR professionals, business managers, and leaders with the necessary tools to navigate the complexities of effective human capital management. By exploring key areas such as recruitment, employee engagement, performance management, well-being, and organizational transformation, the book provides actionable insights through real-world case studies. It offers valuable information to drive organizational success and foster a positive workplace culture, benefiting not only SMEs but also larger organizations seeking to optimize their HR practices. Innovative Human Resource Management for SMEs stands as a guiding beacon, empowering readers to attract, engage, and retain top talent, thus ensuring their businesses thrive in the dynamic business world of the current millennium.

Global competition, shorter product lifecycles and increasingly demanding customers are creating significant pressures for the creation of innovative organizations. By examining eight case studies in various industry sectors in Europe, Australia, Japan and Thailand, this book provides a qualitative explanation of the complex relationships between innovation capability, e-commerce, sustainable development and new product development. The book explores how organizations develop innovation capability through the application of e-commerce, sustainable development-orientation, and new product development in order to gain competitive advantage. This knowledge will help managers, academics and policy-makers understand ?what works, and why and how it works? in creating innovation-driven organizations from an international perspective, thereby providing an integrated approach to innovation management.

Talent Management in Small and Medium Enterprises contributes to the body of knowledge concerning talent management in small and medium enterprises. Despite the growing number of publications on talent management in recent years, research has focused mainly on large companies. As a consequence of this research bias towards large companies, the presented theoretical concepts and practices have limited applicability for talent management in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Because SMEs constitute a significant part of the national economy in a large number of countries, many authors report the necessity to investigate talent management in such enterprises. This book will be a source of useful data for managers of SMEs and owners and provide them with information about the practices and methods concerning the acquisition, development and retention of talented employees who may contribute to the success of SMEs and the execution of business strategies. The book offers academic researchers, postgraduate students and reflective practitioners a state-of-the-art overview of Talent Management in Small and Medium Enterprises.

The book studies the interplay between open innovation and knowledge management issues in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). With the proliferation of the open innovation paradigm and against the backdrop of increasing external knowledge transfer activities, knowledge management is more important than ever for innovation and firm performance of any type of organization. In fact, knowledge management is no longer a pure intra-organizational activity but constitutes a vital interface function between the organization and its external partners/stakeholders.Throughout the book, readers will obtain both a broad overview of the two main concepts namely open innovation and knowledge management and its interplay. In addition, research will be presented which will help the readers to develop and/or expand their understanding of the phenomenon. This broad approach can also support in broadening the mindset regarding the topic under investigation and its application. Thereby, this book will primarily focus on SMEs and their approach with respect to the interplay in question.In order to achieve the above-mentioned aim, the book consists of ten chapters that are assigned to three parts. Part 1 introduces to the main concepts, namely, SMEs, Open Innovation, Knowledge Management, and the interplay between open innovation and knowledge management in SMEs. This is followed by Part 2, which provides empirical research insights into the phenomenon of interest. The book concludes with Part 3 which addresses promising future avenues regarding the study of open innovation and knowledge management in SMEs. All the chapters are written by leading international researchers in the respective fields, which makes the book a unique piece of work.

Technology development has provided fundamental benefits of speed, precision, and convenience to common business strategies; providing not only a means for functional integration, but also an opportunity to enhance competitive capability of a business firm. Implementing IT Business Strategy in the Construction Industry brings together topics on understanding business strategy and competitive advantage, as well as essential benefits of concepts and technologies for improving efficiency of the construction industry. This reference source is directed toward researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, undergraduate, and postgraduate students, in order to gain insights into the complex workings of the traditional construction industry and the concepts and tools used to facilitate a strategically IT enabled industry.