Successful and Unsuccessful Executive Integration During Organizational Entry: A Qualitative Study
Open AccessThe failure rates of externally hired executives during organizational entry is a serious problem of practice and one that is inadequately understood in the literature. Three strands of literature – socialization, leader transition, and practitioner literature – address aspects of executive integration but fail to fully capture the inherent complexity involved with organizational entry and integration. Taken together, the literature suggests that executive integration is the result of an interaction between situational, organizational, and individual factors via interpersonal interactions. The purpose of this basic, qualitative study was to address the high failure rates and elucidate factors that affect executive integration. Using Complex Responsive Processes (CRP), a complexity theory based on human interactions (Stacey, 2001, 2003; Stacey, Griffin, & Shaw, 2000), as the theoretical lens, the research question was: In what ways, do factors associated with externally hired executive integration (i.e., situational factors, organizational factors, individual factors, and interpersonal interactions) interact to facilitate or hinder integration? Eighteen executive level participants were recruited for this study. Nine of the participants were executives who experienced organizational entry within the previous two years. The other nine participants were organizational insiders who had observed the process of an externally hired executive entering and integrating into the organization. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and executive integration timelines that the participants completed prior to the interview. The data were coded using a provisional start-list of codes based on the literature, emotion codes, process codes, and pattern codes. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data to reveal robust findings.The findings confirmed that executive integration results from an interaction between situational, organizational, and individual factors through interpersonal interactions (Jones, 1983; Reichers, 1987). Specifically, the findings show that 1) Executive integration is multi-faceted, non-linear, and unpredictable, 2) There is a performance paradox where executives are hired to perform but performance doesn’t guarantee integration, 3) Executives must be a culture fit or at least culturally compatible to integrate successfully, 4) Organizational factors, namely executive selection, structuring learning, and fostering connections interacts with other factors to affect integration, and 5) Individual factors, namely job choice, listening and learning, and building relationships interacts with other factors to affect integration.This study contributes to the literature, and to practice. First, CRP, the theoretical lens incorporated the various perspectives used in socialization studies and shed light on the dynamic interacting factors. Secondly, the study addressed key gaps that existed in the literature. And finally, the findings point to areas of practice that can enhance the likelihood of integration success.
- All rights reserved
Notice to Authors
If you are the author of this work and you have any questions about the information on this page, please use the Contact form to get in touch with us.
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Sherlock_gwu_0075A_15752.pdf | 2022-04-25 | Open Access |
|