From Theory to Practice: Tailoring Sustainability Education for Finnish SMEs
Hjerp, Ann Sofie (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025111027455
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025111027455
Tiivistelmä
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hold the biggest share of businesses in Finland. They constitute over 99% of all registered businesses and are therefore crucial to Finland’s sustainability transition. However, SMEs face several practical challenges in adopting sustainable practices, including limited resources, heavy time pressures, complex regulations, and a lack of tailored support.
This thesis examined how sustainability education can be designed and delivered to meet SME needs. The research used a qualitative design with abductive thematic analysis. Themes were grounded in interview data and were iteratively interpreted in light of prior literature. The data came from five semi-structured interviews with experts in SME coaching, sustainability education, and applied research. A systematic literature review supported the analysis. It drew on adult learning theories, including andragogy, experiential learning, dialogic learning, and coaching.
The findings identified eight key themes for effective SME sustainability education: practical learning tools, resource limitations, regulatory disconnection, leadership impact, peer learning and support, coaching-based education, contextualized content, and bridging the academic - SME gap. These themes formed the basis of a proposed model for SME sustainability learning. The model was relational (built on trust and coaching), practical (using tools and low-threshold approaches), contextual (grounded in SME realities), and translational (turning abstract knowledge into actionable strategies). The study concluded that SMEs are not unwilling to work on sustainability. However, they needed an education that matches all three criteria: it is simple, relevant, and directly applicable to SMEs’ daily work.
The thesis also offered practical recommendations for anyone involved in SME sustainability education. The recommendations focused first on coaching and peer learning; next on tailored tools; and finally on clear communication to increase SMEs’ sustainability commitment and practical implementation.
This thesis examined how sustainability education can be designed and delivered to meet SME needs. The research used a qualitative design with abductive thematic analysis. Themes were grounded in interview data and were iteratively interpreted in light of prior literature. The data came from five semi-structured interviews with experts in SME coaching, sustainability education, and applied research. A systematic literature review supported the analysis. It drew on adult learning theories, including andragogy, experiential learning, dialogic learning, and coaching.
The findings identified eight key themes for effective SME sustainability education: practical learning tools, resource limitations, regulatory disconnection, leadership impact, peer learning and support, coaching-based education, contextualized content, and bridging the academic - SME gap. These themes formed the basis of a proposed model for SME sustainability learning. The model was relational (built on trust and coaching), practical (using tools and low-threshold approaches), contextual (grounded in SME realities), and translational (turning abstract knowledge into actionable strategies). The study concluded that SMEs are not unwilling to work on sustainability. However, they needed an education that matches all three criteria: it is simple, relevant, and directly applicable to SMEs’ daily work.
The thesis also offered practical recommendations for anyone involved in SME sustainability education. The recommendations focused first on coaching and peer learning; next on tailored tools; and finally on clear communication to increase SMEs’ sustainability commitment and practical implementation.