The impact of the venture growth on leadership communication : an exploratory study of how leaders can reduce employees' growth pains
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- Title
- The impact of the venture growth on leadership communication : an exploratory study of how leaders can reduce employees' growth pains
- Creator
- Erika Bianco
- Date
- 2012
- Abstract
-
The venture growth is a complex phenomenon, which does not only require all the business competencies of entrepreneurs and managers but it also requires them to put particular emphasis on the employees. In fact, growth drags a series of pains with it that directly impact employees by generating an overall internal uncertainty. One of the main reasons for this is communication breakdown. The more complex the organisational structure become the harder it is to keep effective communication. The leader has the responsibility to deal with it. Although the literature has given an understanding of how leadership styles and their respective communication approaches affect the overall organisation life, no prove was found among them that one specific leadership communication style ought to be perceived as the most beneficial by the employees in order to face such change.
Therefore, a gap in this specific field was found. This study attempted to fill the just mentioned knowledge gap. The research questions explored the role that the leadership communication plays in the organisation's growth context in respect to its employees. Main theoretical foundation for the study was provided by Greiner's Growth Model (1998), SME's Growth Model (Churchill - Lewis, 1983) (which both helped to explain the context of growth), the Leadership Communication Framework (Barret, 2006) and Darling's four successful leadership communication strategies (2012). They provided a better understanding of the important role that leadership skills play. An overview of the various leadership styles, then showed the basis for the focus of this research: "Is there a spec ffic leadership communication style perceived as the best to reduce the employees ' uncertainty during the growth ?"
The research approach adopted to solve the research question includes a qualitative and exploratory study. The latter was carried out through the analysis of multiple case studies of convenience and quota samples made of four leaders and their respective employees, using semi-structured interviews and surveys. The results from the case studies suggest that a mixture of servant and transformational leadership is perceived as the most beneficial to reduce the employees ' uncertainty.
The exploratory nature of this dissertation makes it a starting point for future larger-scale studies, which can further prove or reject the theory. Researches would in fact have higher result reliability if they carry out the study within a wider timeframe and by using a random, bigger and then more generalizable sample.
Key words: growth pains, leadership communication, employees ' uncertainty, leadership perception, communication breakdown, transition - Subject
- Business
- Leadership
- Extent
- viii, 136 pages
- Format
- Publisher
- Regent's University London
- degree
- MA Entrepreneurial Management
- Language
- English
- Date Issued
- 2012
- Type
- Report
- Rights Holder
- Erika Bianco Regent's University London
- Item sets
- Theses or Dissertation