Developing business leaders and staff is as important to Irish companies as keeping up with changes in technology, a leading business academic has said.
Dr Briga Hynes of the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick said a heightened awareness of competitiveness was driving business leaders to examine their own thinking as well as that of employees.
She was speaking as The All-Ireland Business Foundation accredited 85 companies as Business All-Stars at Croke Park today (Tuesday).
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of Irish companies seeking the unique quality mark signifying they meet the highest standards of service and trust.
Dr Hynes said the accreditation, which is now held by 300 firms, is needed by the thousands of small and medium businesses which operate to their own standards, but have nothing to measure them by.
“The business environment is changing rapidly, and there is an accelerated awareness of competitiveness among Irish SMEs, particularly in the fields of personnel advancement, product development and innovation,” she said.
“Smart business leaders are taking a step back and examining their own mindset before looking at staff.
“A business must remain strategically responsive, but leadership ability must be responsive at owner-manager level.
“Leadership ability is not a single competency, it is set of skills needed for sustained success in today’s increasingly, complex, fast-paced and changing business environment.”
Newly-accredited companies included onsite service providers Sodexo, Lusk-based health screening service Bloodworks, Phoneix Performing Arts College at East Wall and Galway’s St Jarlath’s Credit Union.
The accreditation is overseen by the Foundation, whose adjudication panel is co-chaired by Dr Hynes.
“It provides very important credible and transparent benchmarking that hasn’t been available up to now, allowing companies to very clearly understand where they are versus their competitors.”
The All-Ireland Business Foundation is responsible for overseeing the All-Ireland Business Summit and All-Star awards and ongoing All-Star accreditation.
It also awards Thought Leader honours and promotes peer dialogue among its members.
It has created an active community of progressive and ambitious business leaders who work together and openly share knowledge.
Scaling for Success is the theme of the Foundation’s All-Ireland Business Summit at Croke Park on May 2.
