Internal openness? How and why managing directors in SMEs involve employees in strategic conversations

Purpose This paper investigates the ways managing directors (MDs) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) involve employees strategic conversations. The examines how managers interact with conversations, why do so (or not), to generate empirically grounded knowledge about nature of internal openness SMEs. Design/methodology/approach study employs a general inductive approach is based on in-depth interviews 60 Swedish MDs development growth ambitions. Findings develops model employee involvement conversations intensity MD–employee interaction. A key finding that SMEs exhibit wide variation terms involvement, from virtually no to, some cases, far-reaching company democracy. reasons for this are complex, but personal preferences size shown have an impact, as does, degree, ownership structure. In contrast existing research, limitations drawbacks involving outlined. Originality/value provides important insight into MDs' views practices processes outlined, potential highlighted.