Assessment: The Team Finland operating model has clearly improved – the internal division of tasks and the service promise must be further clarified

Especially SMEs and midcap companies that operate on the international market have benefitted from export promotion services, in particular over the short term, and have managed to increase their exports to new markets faster than other companies. On the other hand, the analysis did not find statistically significant impacts with regard to turnover, added value and productivity. However, indications of longer-term impacts on companies’ business operations could be detected in the qualitative assessment.

The Team Finland operating model and the network’s customer guidance have clearly developed, which has improved the impacts yielded by internationalisation services. There is still room for improvement in the network’s internal division of tasks and flow of information and the service promise still needs clarification. In addition, private-sector internationalisation services are not used efficiently enough as part of the Team Finland network. According to the assessment, the challenges related to the guidance and operations of the network can nevertheless be solved on the basis of the current operating model.

In the future, it is important to continue to develop the knowledge base of the impact monitoring and assessment of internationalisation services and the Team Finland network.

Recommendations for developing the operating model

The assessment recommends the following actions, among other things, for developing the Team Finland operating model. Some of the recommendations have already been promoted in the ongoing internal development work of the network:

• Sharper focus for the network’s strategic targets
• Clarification of the network’s service promise and service offering
• Intensification of mutual cooperation and exchange of information in the network
• More systematic integration of joint Team Finland targets with performance guidance
• Development of the division of tasks and exchange of information in the international network
• Clarification of the role of regional operators as part of the national operating model and sharing of the good practices of regional operating models
• More efficient linking of private internationalisation services as part of the service offering of the Team Finland network
• Stronger linking of investments and talent attraction as part of the promotion of exports and internationalisation
• Strengthening of the knowledge base of the Team Finland network’s impact assessment

The assessment was conducted by 4FRONT Ltd and Etlatieto Oy Ltd. Etla’s Researcher Ilkka Ylhäinen was responsible for the research project at Etla. Research Director Heli Koski and Researcher Mika Pajarinen were also part of the project.

The publication is part of the implementation of the Government Plan for Analysis, Assessment and Research for 2021.

More information:
Managing Director Vesa Salminen, 4FRONT Oy, p. 040-1252 370