EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study provides insights into the nature of innovation and learning, and those factors that shape innovation and learning in Singaporean Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Given the importance of developing an innovative learning culture in SMEs in the Singaporean context, and that innovative activity in small firms remains poorly understood in terms of its learning requirements, this study seeks to examine how organisational factors such as firm size, business model, management or leadership style and technology, structure and flow of the work, constitute an innovative learning culture, and/or a “learning architecture” that comprises “the organizational mechanism(s), artifacts, and human assets that the organization has constructed over time and which contribute to the type and level of learning within the organization” (Bishop, 2012, p. 516). This study also addresses the wrong perception that SMEs are perhaps somehow or somewhat “deficient”, and/or that SME workers “lack” innovation and learning. We hope to provide a more contextualised and better understanding through the stories of the participating SMEs in this study and their issues, challenges and particular practices. The focus on innovation and innovative learning culture brings a focus to both the strengths and challenges of SMEs. Using a qualitative research method, the study investigates innovation and learning in seven SMEs in Singapore. It draws on data consisting of semi-structured interviews with employers, middle management and workers in the participating organisations; work shadowing with workers; document analysis, and discussions with various industry bodies and government agencies. In this report, we develop a framework for innovative learning culture. This helps to facilitate an understanding of how learning and innovations are initiated, and identify the opportunities and support for learning and innovation in the seven organisations straddling healthcare and advanced manufacturing sectors. We identify and analyse factors of innovative learning culture which includes:
Conversations about workers’ engagement and participation;
Understanding the inter-connections between the processes and activities of innovation and learning, and what organisations can do to support or enable their staff to innovate and learn, and
A holistic and integrated approach to enable innovative learning culture.
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