Governance and Management of Business Networks - Literature review Example

Epistemological Assumptions Introduction In the retail business, the tactic a store manager uses in leading, can significantly affect the culture for both the customer and employees. In retail management, the time has come the change from a management style is now becoming more of a leadership style when it comes to training associate (Sarros, & Santora, 2001). The paper, will therefore, focus while identifying the epistemological assumptions and approaches on the many different leadership styles applied in retail management. In this case, one of the sources that the paper will use is “Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: the Road Ahead” by Bruce J. Avolio and Francis J. Yammarino. Additionally, I feel that the theories of post-modernism will align best with the conclusions and approach of my paper in retail management as a field of study Description “Governance and Management of Horizontal Business Networks: Analysis of Retail Networks in Germany” an article by Wegner, Antonio, and Douglas examines significant elements in the growth and the success of horizontal business networks, their management and governance (Wegner, & Padula, 2010). In this case, case studies are presented after conducting three different retail networks in Germany; this is with the intention of understanding how these networks are structure either internally and externally, and the main internal governance contribute to their development. The journal focuses on secondary data and interviews from different lengths, and with this information, the studies show that the retail networks developed and implemented their own management mechanisms and governance structures, so that they can attract and retain a large number of clientele, facilitate strategic and effective decision making process (Wegner, & Padula, 2010). According to the results of the analysis in the study, they highlight that governance structures and management styles are transitional thus they are adopted according to certain contingencies. According to the selected case studies, the effectiveness and growth of the retail business networks have demanded changes in the governance structures and leadership styles, with a greater autonomy for professional network managers (Wegner, & Padula, 2010). However, although the retail businesses keeps their cooperative characters, there is a trade-off, in which members of the businesses agree that they can delegate greater decisions making power to managers in exchange for greater business efficiency and competitiveness. This article, therefore, shows how retail management as a field of study is important since it gives a manager a sense of what to expect in different environment of running a business. Primarily, the article shows how important governance structures and styles are in the management of the business to the good of their customers and the employees (Wegner, & Padula, 2010). “Retail Managers: Laissez-Faire Leadership Is Synonymous with Unsuccessful Conflict Management Styles” is another article that is related more on the retail management and the styles that retail managers use to run businesses. In this article, retail managers were examined with the aim of understanding and determining their leadership styles and any relevant correlation to conflict management styles (Gray, & Williams, 2012). According to the research findings conducted in this journal, they suggests that successful retail managers exhibit transformational leadership styles, during those that exhibited the Laissez-faire leadership styles were strongly associated with avoidance conflict management style. The conclusion to the study was that, effective leadership qualities are important and beneficial in the current organizations of retail businesses since they are facing conflicts that mostly arise from customers, competing retail businesses, and employees. Therefore, transformational leadership has confirmed to be an effective leadership style among retail managers and employees in study. However, the leadership style in the study did not associate well with effective conflict management styles among the people in the study; on the other hand, the results showed that there were a significant positive association of retail managers’ Laissez Faire leadership style and an avoidance conflict management style. Meaning that, the Laissez Faire leadership style had a strong influence on the employees for avoiding conflict. On the bottom line, retail management is one field of business that is significant, since the way a person manages a retail business determines how far and successful business will go, as clearly denoted in the journal (Gray, & Williams, 2012). “Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: the Road Ahead” by Bruce and Francis, is a journal that explores the different types of leadership among business executives such as transformational, charismatic, and transactional leadership styles (Avolio, & Yammarino, (Eds.). 2013). According to comments made by the participants of the study, revealed that most executives or retail managers believe there are weaknesses as well as strengths with both the leadership constructs in practice. Major leadership strengths are found in the role modeling, consideration behaviors, role modeling, and coaching of managers. On the other hand, major weaknesses are in the failure of the managers to motivate and challenge employees beyond the expected outcome (Avolio, & Yammarino, (Eds.). 2013). The article also discusses and examines other components of each of the transformational and charismatic leadership behaviors, also reveals how retail managers identify their leadership styles in problematic business and social context. In this case, these perceptions are associated with and may be originate from the increasing pace of work-life, and mainly focus more on the technological breakthrough, joint venture markets, competitive advantage, and globalization. Finally, the article also discusses leadership strategies and approaches for achieving positive results, and the implications for future research. Primarily, the articles discuss the various leadership styles that several retail managers use, that is transformational, transactional, charismatic, and Laissez Faire; also shows how important they are to different structures of a retail management (Avolio, & Yammarino, (Eds.). 2013). Analysis Part 1 Epistemological refers to the manner in which to acquire the knowledge in research. The knowledge acquired can only be acceptable if it is in certain paradigms, for instance, epistemological in normative paradigm refers to how the social world can investigate natural science. On the other hand, epistemological in the interpretive paradigm is acquiring knowledge by investigating the phenomena using several ways since the social context different from the natural science (Johnson, & Duberley, 2000). In the article “Governance and Management of Horizontal Business Networks: Analysis of Retail Networks in Germany,” in the early pragmatic thinking, the researcher and the participants in the study were assumed to be independent, meaning that they did not influence each other (Johnson, & Duberley, 2000). Pragmatist is free to study the field that interests them in the different methods they find appropriate. However, through this paradigm holds that objectivity in the logic that researchers in the study of the horizontal retail networks in Germany influenced the results of the study since they are the determinants of what is deemed appropriate for the research study. In this study, the epistemological assumptions of the pragmatism paradigm were illustrated in the study, in the sense that the researchers used exploratory interview with the directors of the retail networks using semi-structured scripts that were developed by the researchers meaning that they structured the scripts on how they needed the information. The participants responded to similar questions as the other respondents regarding network management on the planning, selection of members, reporting, evaluation — motivation on innovation and learning, and the services provided to the members — the reason was to standardize the responses. Lastly, the researchers also used secondary data on the networks in the studies, such as communication materials, annual reports, and other published studies provided by the networks. On the other hand, “Retail Managers: Laissez-Faire Leadership Is Synonymous with Unsuccessful Conflict Management Styles,” shows a post-positivity paradigm. This is because the most important thing to the researcher is the objectivity, since the researcher observes and manipulates the knowledge acquired in an objective and composed manner. The Post-positivists modified this belief by recognizing that the theories, the background knowledge, and the hypothesis held by the researcher can strongly influence what is observed (Johnson, & Duberley, 2000). The researchers in this case, used a Multi Leadership Questioner (MLQ) and Conflict Management Styles (CMS), so that the researchers do not influence the outcomes through their personal biases. The epistemological assumption of the post-positivist paradigm demonstrated in the article, on the study to determine the leadership styles of retail managers and any potential correlation to conflict management, used MLQ and CMS survey instruments to ensure that the information got was not manipulated. To ensure that there was standardization of information provided by the participants, within each survey envelope packet, there were instruction sent to the executive managers of the retail businesses, which had contact information, questioners and specific instruction for filling the surveys as discussed in their methodology. Lastly, the researchers were also able to apply statistics to their data to support their claim that the change in literacy skills was real within a certain level of probability (Johnson, & Duberley, 2000). Lastly, “Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: the Road Ahead” is a perfect reflection of constructivist paradigms. The participants together with the researcher are interlocked in an interactive process in which each of them influences each other. The constructivist therefore prefers more personal and interactive mode of data collection. The objectivity concept popular in the post-positivist paradigm is replaced by the concept of confirmability in the constructivist paradigm (Johnson, & Duberley, 2000). The epistemological assumptions in this case are made that data, interpretation, and outcomes are deeply rooted in the contexts and people instead of the researcher since they are not fabrications of their imaginations. In this paradigm, information can be tracked to their sources; the method of analysis can be made precise in the narrative (ODwyer, & Ryan, 2002). For example, in the journal, the researcher was exploring the nature of charismatic and transformational leadership among retail managers. Therefore, for the researcher to get the intended information, close interviews with the managers had to be carried out to ensure the outcome was consistent to the study (Kuhn, 2012). Additionally, the researcher went further not only to research on the two styles; he also researched on other styles such as transactional and Laissez Faire leadership styles, in order to get the confirmability needed. Lastly, the researcher also held up the validity of her conclusions by using several references or sources of data used, and the methods used to collect the information or data. The journal also shows evidence of direct quotation from other relevant sources to support the inferences the researcher drew from the data obtained (Avolio, & Yammarino, (Eds.). 2013). Analysis Part II When undertaking research, there are several problems encountered and they can sometimes make a research have weaknesses. The journal “Governance and Management of Horizontal Business Networks: Analysis of Retail Networks in Germany,” has a weakness in the methodology, in which the case studies reviewed were based on the interpretation of the network managers. However, on the counterargument, I would recommend that parallel studies be undertaken with the network members-retail businesses, to assess their understanding on the efficiency and effectiveness of management and governance in these studied networks. On the other hand, “Retail Managers: Laissez-Faire Leadership Is Synonymous with Unsuccessful Conflict Management Styles” also has a weakness. The researchers’ findings did not fully support previous findings since the sample size they used to collect their data was small, however, a larger sample size should have been used to ensure they build on the research results. Finally, the journal “Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: the Road Ahead” is a clear descriptive of the various leadership styles. However, the effort of the researcher to show the different behaviors of the leadership styles, he left out the important and relevant leadership behaviors, thus this omission reduces the capacity of the theory to explain effective leadership. Nevertheless, the qualitative data presented in the paper helps the researcher clarify the elements of these leadership styles more comprehensively (Avolio, & Yammarino, (Eds.). 2013). Synthesis I believe that the journal “Retail Managers: Laissez-Faire Leadership Is Synonymous with Unsuccessful Conflict Management Styles” provides argument and approaches compellingly enough and bring forth a clear picture of the field in the study. Despite the weakness in the study, the study results can be applied in retailing industry through implementing programs that inspire retail managers in developing and using transformational leadership skills in managing the turnover of employees (Zentes, Morschett, & Schramm-Klein, 2007). This is fully derived from the approaches the researcher used in carrying out the study, meaning that this approach can also be used to improve the turnover in the retail industry and conflicts deriving from lack of motivation in this complex industry. Moreover, the researchers also used MLQ and CMS instruments for the study this is because they are said to be the most validated and reliable instruments used in the testing of participants for leadership styles. Therefore, the results obtained were rational for the field of study and could be used by other researchers to carry out research of the same field (Bernstein, 1983). Conclusion Conclusively, the retailing industry is highly dynamic and innovative, and this means that it is very engaging to study. Thus, retail management explores the key elements of day-to-day store operations and puts focus on the issues associated with managing activities and employees. Some of the essential elements considered in the management of retail businesses are the leadership styles, and the ability of the manager to make decisions for the business (Bajaj, Srivastava, & Tuli, 2005). A leadership style generally results from the manner in which a manager applies his or her personality and temperaments to the people and business decisions he or she manages. The paper has therefore; clearly establish the fact why the field of retail management is worth studying. Taking into account the perceptions and preferences of the retail managers in retail businesses has now become clear that managers should design new management structures to ensure the small businesses achieve their goals and objectives. References Avolio, B. J., & Yammarino, F. J. (Eds.). (2013). Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead (Vol. 5). Emerald Group Publishing. Bajaj, C., Srivastava, N. V., & Tuli, R. (2005). Retail management (Vol. 8). Oxford University Press. Bernstein, R. (1983). Beyond objectivism and relativism: Science, hermeneutics, and praxis. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap…and others don’t. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. Gray, E. C., & Williams, J. A. (2012). Retail Managers: Laissez-Faire Leadership Is Synonymous With Unsuccessful Conflict Management Styles. Open Journal of Leadership, 1, 13. Johnson, P., & Duberley, J. (2000). Understanding management research: An introduction to epistemology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Kuhn, T. S. (2012). The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. ODwyer, M., & Ryan, E. (2002). Management development - a model for retail business. Journal of European Industrial Training, 26(8), 420-429. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215392739?accountid=45049 Sarros, J. C., & Santora, J. C. (2001). The transformational-transactional leadership model in practice. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 22(7), 383-393. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/226916390?accountid=45049 Wegner, D., & Padula, A. D. (2010). Governance and management of horizontal business networks: An analysis of retail networks in Germany. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(12), 74-88. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/821639662?accountid=45049 Zentes, J., Morschett, D., & Schramm-Klein, H. (2007). Strategic retail management. Betriebswirtschaftlicher Verlag Dr. Th. Gabler GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden (GWV). Read More