Abstract
Management and leadership development priorities in Estonia are driven by the need to increase productivity and international competitiveness.
This chapter gives insights into the management and leadership development priorities and the business challenges faced by Estonian organizations. The changing demographic situation and understanding priorities of the new generations entering the labor market have been identified as the main challenge for human resource management in the majority of organizations included in the research on management and leadership development needs.
People skills, communication and IT have been high-priority development areas in recent years. More than 50% of organizations have offered some development for their staff in these areas. Strategy, leadership, marketing and sales are also popular development areas.
In order to move from the role of subcontractors to developers of innovative products for export, Estonian companies, universities and state agencies have to cooperate in developing management and leadership education that will support creativity, innovation and change towards more knowledge-intensive business initiatives.
It is with deep sadness that we note Prof. Ruth Alas passed away on 23 January 2018.
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Annex 1 Organizations Interviewed
Annex 1 Organizations Interviewed
Organizations | Industry | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
1. | Retail | Nationwide 100% Estonian capital-based retail chain with 5000 employees |
2. | IT | Local subsidiary of global IT company, 200 employees |
3. | E-retail | Local subsidiary of Baltics-wide e-retail company |
4. | Metal processing and electrical appliances | Local subsidiary of international corporation |
5. | IT | Local capital based company with 70 employees |
6. | IT | Local subsidiary with 300 employees. Belongs to an international corporation |
7. | IT | Local IT company with 15 employees |
8. | Logistics and transportation | International company with 200 employees |
9. | IT | 100% local capital-based IT company employing 60 people |
10. | Logistics and transportation | State-owned company with 650 employees |
11. | Retail | Baltics-wide retail chain with 2700 employees belonging to an international group |
12. | Telecommunication equipment | Local subsidiary of global group |
13. | Food processing and sales | Local capital-based company with 300 employees |
14. | Distribution of electrical products and related services | Local subsidiary of international group with 70 employees |
15. | Logistics and transportation | Local subsidiary of global group with 150 employees |
16. | Wood processing | Privately owned producer of prefabricated timber frame houses with 110 employees |
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Alas, R., Elenurm, T., Kaarelson, T., Sassi, M., Zernand-Vilson, M. (2018). Management and Leadership Development Needs: The Case of Estonia. In: Purg, D., Braček Lalić, A., Pope, J. (eds) Business and Society. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78855-5_4
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