Strategy Implementation in a Small Island Community 127 Arnoud A
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B&T28160 Erim - 08 Omslag Maas STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION IN A SMALL ISLAND COMMUNITY 127 ARNOUD A. VAN DER MAAS AN INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK Strategy implementation is of high importance to organization science and practice, due to its direct relation to organizational performance, its high complexity, and high Strategy Implementation in failur e rate. This PhD thesis is about strategy implementation and the reasons for success ARNOUD A. VAN DER MAAS - ARNOUD A. VAN Strategy Implementation in a Small Island Community or failure. Despite its apparent importance for organizational performance, research on a Small Island Community the subject remains rather limited. Relevant literature exists but is fragmented among other fields of management research. Especially research in non-North American and non- Western European contexts remains scarce. In addition, little attention has been paid to An Integrative Framework strategy implementation within developing economies and small island communities. This PhD thesis investigates strategy implementation and its reasons for success or failure. It reports on a qualitative survey of 55 executives with strategy implementation responsibilities within 44 public and private organizations in the small Caribbean island community of Curaçao. The study demonstrates that strategy implementation is a highly complex organizational phenomenon which is influenced by a large number of factors ERIM related to the process, content and context of an implementation effort. The present study integrates a number of independent streams of research to develop a comprehensive and integrative framework for strategy implementation, which is grounded in implementation practice. This thesis further discusses the implications of these factors on strategy Print: Haveka (www.haveka.nl) Design & layout: B&T Ontwerp en advies (www.b-en-t.nl) implementation performance and makes recommendations for implementation practice. The study provides important insights that are highly relevant for managers to successfully implement strategies. ERIM The Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM) is the Research School (Onder - zoek school) in the field of management of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The founding participants of ERIM are Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, and the Erasmus School of Econo mics. ERIM was founded in 1999 and is officially accredited by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). The research undertaken by ERIM is focussed on the management of the firm in its environment, its intra- and interfirm relations, and its busi ness processes in their interdependent connections. The objective of ERIM is to carry out first rate research in management, and to offer an advanced doctoral pro gramme in Research in Management. Within ERIM, over three hundred senior researchers and PhD candidates are active in the different research programmes. From a variety of acade mic backgrounds and expertises, the ERIM commu nity is united in striving for excellence and working at the fore front of creating new business knowledge. Erasmus Research Institute of ManagementErasmus Research - ERIM PhD Series Research in Management Rotterdam School of Management Tel. +31 10 408 11 82 ERIM Erasmus University Fax +31 10 408 96 40 Erasmus School of Economics E-mail [email protected] P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam Internet www.erim.eur.nl The Netherlands STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION IN A SMALL ISLAND COMMUNITY AN INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK 1 2 STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION IN A SMALL ISLAND COMMUNITY AN INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK STRATEGIE IMPLEMENTATIE IN EEN KLEINE EILANDGEMEENSCHAP: EEN GEÏNTEGREERD FRAMEWORK Thesis to obtain the degree of Doctor from the Erasmus University Rotterdam by command of the rector magnificus Prof.dr. S.W.J. Lamberts in accordance with the decision of the Doctorate Board. The public defense shall be held on Friday May 9th, 2008 at 11.00 hours by ARNOUD ANTHONY VAN DER MAAS born at Rotterdam, the Netherlands 3 DOCTORAL COMMITTEE Promotor: Prof.dr. H.G. van Dissel Other members: Prof.dr.ir. E. van Heck Prof.dr. S.J. Magala Prof.dr.ing. V. Marcha Copromotor: Dr.ir. G.J. Cijntje Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM) Rotterdam School of Management / Erasmus School of Economics Erasmus University Internet: http://www.erim.eur.nl ERIM Electronic Series Portal: http://hdl.handle.net/1765/1 ERIM Ph.D. Series in Management nr 127 ISBN 978-90-5892-160-4 Design: B&T Ontwerp en Advies www.b-en-t.nl / Print: Haveka www.haveka.nl 2008, Arnoud A. van der Maas All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. Electronic copies are available from the author upon request. 4 There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things, because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. (Machiavelli, 1512) 5 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... vii FIGURES AND TABLES...................................................................................... ix PREFACE .............................................................................................................. xi 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Importance of Strategy Implementation ................................................ 1 1.2 Research Objective and Questions................................................................ 9 1.3 The Outline of The Study............................................................................ 12 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE............................................................................ 13 2.1 Introduction................................................................................................. 13 2.2 Defining Strategy Implementation.............................................................. 13 2.3 Perspectives on Strategy Implementation ................................................... 15 2.4 Strategy Implementation Frameworks ........................................................ 23 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...................................................................... 29 3.1 Introduction................................................................................................. 29 3.2 Research Philosophy................................................................................... 29 3.3 Research Strategy........................................................................................ 31 3.4 Conceptual Lens.......................................................................................... 33 3.5 Research Design.......................................................................................... 38 3.6 Research Setting.......................................................................................... 50 3.7 Research Approach ..................................................................................... 59 3.8 Data Analysis .............................................................................................. 69 4. STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION CONTEXT.............................................. 73 4.1 Introduction................................................................................................. 73 4.2 Environmental Level Context Factors......................................................... 73 4.3 Organizational Level Context Factors......................................................... 84 4.4 Individual Level Context Factors................................................................ 98 5. STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS ............................................. 107 5.1 Introduction............................................................................................... 107 5.2 Strategy Implementation Process Factors ................................................. 107 vii 7 Table of Contents 6. STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION CONTENT............................................ 129 6.1 Introduction............................................................................................... 129 6.2 Strategy Implementation Content Factors................................................. 129 7. THEORETICAL REFLECTION .................................................................... 135 7.1 Introduction............................................................................................... 135 7.2 Strategy Implementation Context Revisited ............................................. 135 7.3 Strategy Implementation Process Revisited.............................................. 160 7.4 Strategy Implementation Content Revisited ............................................. 177 8. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................... 185 8.1 Introduction............................................................................................... 185 8.2 Main Findings ........................................................................................... 185 8.3 Practical Implications...............................................................................