TITLE:
The Impact of Work Culture and Understanding Capabilities on Change Success
AUTHORS:
Craig Soliz
KEYWORDS:
Change Management, Business Transformation, Stakeholder Resistance, Resilience in Business, Strategic Change Initiatives, Employee Resistance, Small to Mid-Size Retail Business, Training Strategies, Qualitative Inquiry, Thematic Analysis, Leadership Competencies, Communication Skills, Staff Engagement, Change Management Success, Organizational Development, Job Satisfaction, Workforce Diversity, Employee Knowledge Sharing, Crisis Management, Change Implementation Strategies
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Business and Management,
Vol.13 No.1,
January
30,
2025
ABSTRACT: This project investigated the creation and implementation of change management strategies within business transformation planning, focusing on how stakeholders navigate resistance to foster resilience in the business environment. Recognizing the challenges faced by business leaders—particularly in small to mid-sized U.S. retail sectors—due to high rates of staff resistance that contribute to a 70% failure rate in strategic change initiatives, this study aims to identify effective training strategies to enhance change management success. Through qualitative inquiry, perspectives of ten retail executives with 1 - 3 years of change management experience were explored via video conference interviews and analyzed through thematic analysis and inductive coding. Results revealed four key themes: the importance of innovative, multi-level training strategies to improve engagement and competence; the necessity of fostering collaboration and feedback from staff to alleviate resistance; the role of effective communication and interpersonal skills in enhancing morale; and the value of leadership development in boosting job satisfaction and competency. The findings suggest that enhancing leadership capabilities in crisis management and communication can lead to more successful change implementations. Implications include the promotion of training and awareness initiatives to better align organizational efforts, reduce employee resistance, and improve overall change management outcomes.