How micro-enterprise performs
This chapter considers a range of explanations as to why micro-enterprises perform well on aspects of all of the four measures that were used (valued, cost-effective, personalised and innovative). It focuses on the organisational structure of micro-enterprises, suggesting that their size allows these organisations to foster staff autonomy and high levels of adaptability to what is wanted by the people they support. It also examines issues of organisational ethos and identity, suggesting that many of these organisations set themselves up explicitly to distinguish themselves from large providers, and that this is the driver for much of the personalised support and innovative practice that we saw. However there are also vulnerabilities here for these organisations which can lack financial security, raising question marks about their long-term sustainability.