Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Research in Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Promoting Diversity For Smes’ Sustainability In The Era Of Multiple Entrepreneurial Faces: Cluster As A Catalyst
Mirhiga Peter Okuwhere, Thanh Huynh, Cherisee Hoyte, Simon Ayo Adekunle
ABSTRACT:
The contemporary business environment requires a focus on sustainability beyond eco-friendly practices. SMEs need to embrace diversity and a technologically adept workforce. This paper explores how embracing diversity and technology could promote sustainable performance in SMEs and the challenges and benefits of knowledge sharing in business clusters. The paper focuses on embracing diversity, sustainability in SMEs, and knowledge sharing within clusters. It highlights that diverse teams bring broader perspectives and experiences, fostering innovation and problem-solving. However, gaps exist between diverse SME compositions and their technological skill sets, hindering effective knowledge sharing and collaboration on sustainability efforts. The conceptual model was developed based on identified gaps, and a survey gathered responses on diversity management, knowledge sharing, and technology deployment. The paper included descriptive statistics to analyse 200 responses coded in Microsoft Excel and imported into SPSS 27. The survey revealed diverse educational backgrounds, with a high frequency of HND/BSC qualifications. Participants were mostly male, aged 36-45, and predominantly Christian Yorubas. Many used technology for diversity management and knowledge sharing, specifically social media groups. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insight into improving sustainable performance through technology adoption and diversity management. The value implications include leveraging diverse perspectives for innovation, enhancing employee engagement through diversity management, and embracing technological skills for sustainability.
keywords: Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Knowledge sharing, SMEs, Sustainability