<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Relative to the overall population of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), high-growth SMEs (HGSMEs) make a disproportionate contribution to economic growth. While research has identified factors that characterise HGSMEs, it is yet to provide a comprehensive explanation of the growth process. The purpose of the study is to identify specific growth events and examine how HGSMEs successfully transition through these periods in terms of operational (i.e. management systems and practices), structural, and strategic changes. Drawing from a descriptive profiling of Irish HGSMEs, four indepth case studies are presented. Analysis suggests a complex relationship between structure and growth, illuminating how HGSMEs experience trigger points that create a momentum of growth, which in turn mandates a supportive infrastructure.</p></abstract>

Relative to the overall population of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), high-growth SMEs (HGSMEs) make a disproportionate contribution to economic growth. While research has identified factors that characterise HGSMEs, it is yet to provide a comprehensive explanation of the growth process. The purpose of the study is to identify specific growth events and examine how HGSMEs successfully transition through these periods in terms of operational (i.e. management systems and practices), structural, and strategic changes. Drawing from a descriptive profiling of Irish HGSMEs, four indepth case studies are presented. Analysis suggests a complex relationship between structure and growth, illuminating how HGSMEs experience trigger points that create a momentum of growth, which in turn mandates a supportive infrastructure.

Building to grow or growing to build: insights from Irish high-growth SMEs (HGSMEs)

The Irish Journal of Management

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Relative to the overall population of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), high-growth SMEs (HGSMEs) make a disproportionate contribution to economic...

Building to grow or growing to build: insights from Irish high-growth SMEs (HGSMEs)

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Sep 28, 2017

Page range: 65 - 77

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijm-2017-0010

Keywords
SMEs, high growth, growth processes, growth triggers

© 2017 Rachel Kidney et al.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Building to grow or growing to build: insights from Irish high-growth SMEs (HGSMEs)

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Sep 28, 2017

Page range: 65 - 77

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijm-2017-0010

KeywordsSMEs, high growth, growth processes, growth triggers

© 2017 Rachel Kidney et al.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
SMEs, high growth, growth processes, growth triggers