Business Leaders’ Mindset and Firms’ Capabilities Change Towards the Adoption of Technology and Innovation Through Government Sponsored Entrepreneurial Training Programs: The Case of Hertfordshire, UK

The UK Government and many of the key sectors are increasingly focusing on growth, sustainability, and diversity. The paper explores the impact of a national programme to help the small business community (including micro and SMEs) to grow their businesses, with particular focus on the entrepreneurial mindset and businesses’ capabilities to adopt technology and innovation.The paper aims to: (1) Understand SMEs’ current mindset and capabilities, and their future expectations towards the adoption of technology and innovation and; (2) Explore the relative influence and impact of the “Help to Grow: Management programme” on the leaders’ mindset and business capabilities of Hertfordshire businesses. Two surveys were conducted with different sizes to supplement information and make the analysis more accurate. The first survey was taken in 2019 and 2020 with 425 SMEs in Hertfordshire and in 2022, the second survey (and interviewed) were typically selected from the group of enterprises that were initially surveyed (n = 20) to see more insight into the research issue. The initial analysis (Hertfordshire-wide business community) and follow-on analysis (attendees of the Help-to-Grow: Management programme) highlight the value of these short-intensive business leader skills programmes focused on developing the leadership and management skills of these business entrepreneurs and their small businesses capabilities. The research results have important implications for SMEs in identifying, evaluating and changing their mindsets as well as capabilities towards technological improvement and innovation. In addition, the research also provides more evidence and practical basis for the government and related agencies to improve such programs to better support SMEs.