SAM ADVANCED MANAGEMENT JOURNAL

Volume 84 Edition 1

Volume 84 Edition 1 | Winter 2019

The Change Management Fallacies

Harlow Cohen

The success ratio of organizational change management (OCM) is no better than 50%, the equivalent of a coin toss. This record has remained unchanged for the last three decades and, thus, qualifies as a chronic condition. The difficulties that hinder OCM have their origins in three unchallenged fallacies. These fallacies erroneously assume that (a) change is always a possibility, (b) implementation is an inherent part of any change process, and (c) activity-driven approaches produce tangible results. To challenge such beliefs, one must shift the dialogue from possible to probable change and move toward a robust practice theory of change and implementation. Moving from possible to probable change requires a diagonal diagnosis to reveal critical junctures between changes that improve performance, behaviors that reinforce the change, and strategic assumptions that channel an organization in a positive direction. To gain insight into a more effective practice theory of implementation, the authors here looked at 237 organization development and change management projects performed. Although we evaluate each project against multiple criteria, we focused on one in particular. That is, did the change project provide evidence that it had a positive organizational benefit or impact? Projects coded high evidence compared to projects coded low evidence revealed three qualitative differences between successful and less successful change projects: (a) practices that make it easier for organizations to implement change, (b) practices that sustain momentum and move projects forward, and (c) practices that generate results. By augmenting process theories of change with more robust implementation practices, these findings suggest that the odds of successful change management can improve.

Underserved: Staffing Challenges in the Restaurant Service Industry Today

David W. Auberry, Marilyn Faulkenburg, and Carlos E. Linares

Staffing challenges have existed in the service industry for years. This problem is especially prevalent in the restaurant industry, as restauranteurs have scrambled just to keep table sections open during peak hours. This research study aims to uncover some of the reasons for current staffing challenges in the restaurant industry. It also seeks to provide invaluable information to be used in overcoming these challenges and attracting more workers. A qualitative design was used based on a grounded theory approach. Four 90-minute focus groups with four–six participants each, were conducted over a two-month period in the Kentucky cities of Louisville, Lexington, and Campbellsville; a total of 21 individuals participated and self-identified as current or previous adult employees in the restaurant industry working as servers who earned all or part of their income from tipped wages. Focus group discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Each of the interview transcriptions was read and hand-coded into meaning units. Each meaning unit was then interpreted and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that wages and management were two of the top issues. However, wages were viewed as a positive aspect that motivated people to stay in the restaurant industry, whereas management issues were seen as a negative element and the major deterrent to staying in the position. Implications for management are discussed.

What is the Key to Effective SWOT Analysis, Including AQCD Factors?

Forest R. David, Steven A. Creek, and Forest R. David

Despite the widespread use of strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) analyses in both practice and strategic management classrooms, vagueness within them hinders their effectiveness. This paper reveals how and why the key to effective SWOT analyses is the inclusion of external and internal factors that meet actionable, quantitative, comparative, and divisional (AQCD) criteria. We explain how AQCD factors help to minimize misinterpretation and pave the way for the specific strategy generation which enables the assignment of costs to each action.

Need-Driven and Opportunity-Driven Women in Entrepreneurship in Alabama

Ravi Chinta, Raghu Tadepalli, and Radmas Chandra

Entrepreneurship has attracted the attention of many and is seen as the economic engine that has the potential to deliver future job growth. Because of this potential, it is crucial to identify what drives entrepreneurship. Extant literature has focused on availability of financing—sufficient collateral—as a significant constraint hindering small business capitalization and business startups. Existing literature also suggests a dichotomy that need-driven entrepreneurs are more impacted by availability of financing than opportunity-driven entrepreneurs. This study empirically investigates the expected linkage between availability of financing and intention to start a business for need-driven and opportunity-driven women entrepreneurs in the state of Alabama. The results from a survey of 1,200 women intending to start a business in Alabama reveal that the strength of the linkage between availability of financing and intention to start a business varies with the entrepreneurial archetype. The study is concluded with implications for women entrepreneurs, policy makers, and future research.