In 30 years, Estonia grew its economy from scratch, faster than any other post-Soviet country. Nothing illustrates this success story better than Estonia’s vibrant startup scene. According to the State of European Tech 2021 report by Atomico, Estonia has the most startups, unicorns and also investments per capita in Europe.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Estonia was even among the fastest growing economies in the European Union. How? To unlock this riddle, a Tartu University study (link in Estonian) lets us peek inside the minds of Estonia’s leaders.

Since 2005, Estonian scientists have been regularly analyzing the trends in local business leadership. Their latest report, led by the renowned economist and psychologist Professor Maaja Vadi and funded by Enterprise Estonia (EAS), was published this week. The study is conducted every five years.

Having a clear plan

According to Vadi, being organized clearly translates into the firm’s performance. Hence, the study looked at how much Estonian companies have invested their time into writing down their goals in detail. Turns out, nearly all Estonian companies have strategic plans, the most successful ones for the next three years at least. They know exactly what they do and why they do it.

It may be obvious for big corporations, but according to Vadi, even small family businesses in rural areas have become more forward-thinking. More precisely, 60 percent of smaller companies and 80 percent of larger companies deemed planning as something extremely important – as a basis for the company.

This trend has grown over the past years. “Companies don’t leave anything to chance anymore,” Krista Jaakson, University of Tartu associate professor and project manager for the study, pointed out. “This allows them to allocate resources more efficiently.”

Apart from having a clear vision, keeping employees happy topped the managers’ priority list.

In questionnaires and focus group interviews that involved nearly 500 leaders and managers all over the country, the respondents said finding and keeping workers were their absolute priorities.

At the same time, evaluating and controlling them were the least of their concerns, a trend that describes both small and large companies.

“The new generation of Estonian entrepreneurs think differently,” Jaakson said. This goes especially for those based in the capital Tallinn and surrounding areas. “They take care of their employees as well as themselves more than ever before.”

How do Estonians find and motivate their employees?

It’s not enough to create cozy offices with table tennis tables to attract workers anymore. Management is focusing on creating communities with a strong team spirit and a sense of belonging, as well as supporting mental health and making sure employees have an enjoyable work-life balance.

Enn Pant, chairman of the board of Baltic Sea shipper Tallink, pointed out during an interview for Edasi magazine that employees need to be listened to and need to feel included. It is up to the head of the company to make sure all the employees, but especially those who work in leading positions, share the same value space. “You can’t run a company with just a spreasheet,” Pant jokingly said.

The main offices of automated pick-up lockers manufacturer Cleveron is based in the middle of Estonia, far from Estonia’s biggest IT hubs where finding and keeping talent is a challenge. The company created their own academy where studies and lodging are covered, to bring up their future labor force.

Digital transformation company Nortal organizes paid summer and winter studies. Most participants end up being hired by the company.

“Management culture that supports development has grown quickly in recent years in Estonia!” Jaakson said.

Vadi believes that the perception of value space is changing in Estonia. In her view, it may be happening because of the pressure from having a limited workforce. “As one of the interviewees told us, he constantly has to pamper his employees, ask them how they are doing and take care of them,” Jaakson said.

Fifteen years ago when the first study of its kind was done, being flexible and finding workers were at the bottom of the entrepreneurs’ worry lists. Now, it jumped to the first.

The study that took place during the pandemic between August 2021 and February 2022 also outlined how adapting fast to the restrictions benefitted companies’ leadership. It was easy for most of them to arrange flexible work, even those managing more physical tasks. 

In the midst of all of this, the University of Tartu scientists were surprised by the fact that Estonian leaders lacked ambition. “They don’t always think globally enough,” Vadi said. “For a small country with a limited market, thinking bigger is essential for growth.”

Global mindset and higher goals, the scientists have seen, bring more success in the long term, especially when it comes to small businesses.

Vadi believes this is something that the government could tackle. “It may sound nice to have cute family initiatives, but who will pay for the pensions and cover all other social benefits in the future? We need innovation and growth.” Where else should this come from if not from local businesses?

Another surprise for them was to see how the companies with foreign ownership have tightened the grip over the Estonian management. Compared to the average of 2006 and 2009, local managers now have 12 percent less say in matters of the company. Authority over advertising and market research have fallen the most, around quarter.

The study didn’t cover why the foreign owners are increasingly taking control.

Being part of a larger community

At the same time, environment and sustainability are increasingly important for Estonian companies. The entrepreneurs see a bigger role in a community than simply paying salaries and generating profit for the owners. The employees are also encouraged to participate.

Interestingly, the study showed that Estonian business leaders have grown tired of various management fashion trends and techniques like benchmarking, customer relationship management or organizational learning. The managers, Jaakson said, have realized that many of them are not grounded in reality or at least not in the Estonian reality.

“It seems that our managers have become more self-confident and think things through more carefully,” Jaakson said.

If anything, this study shows that Estonian leaders have started to walk their own paths, with clear plans in their hands. As they once looked to the West for inspiration, they are starting to become the ones to be followed instead. Or like one of the interviewees pointed out, “the more experienced I become the more I just try to be myself as a leader.”

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