AN EXAMINATION OF THE STRATEGIC DECISION IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONTEXT, PROCESS, AND OUTCOMES

Abstract

Strategic decision implementation is an important subject for both researchers and managers, yet a relatively under-researched area in the strategic management literature, even though a significant proportion of decision failures can be traced to this stage. This sparseness of research has created a mysterious black box in the literature covering the implementation of strategic decisions. Although research has increasingly shifted to plug the gaps, understanding the inner dynamics of this process and identifying its core mechanisms is still proving difficult. Researchers have until now been looking for answers to the challenging question: What are the key determinants of success during strategic decision implementation? This being the case, the present dissertation aims to answer this question by examining the process of implementing strategic decisions in some depth. To achieve this purpose, the researcher applied a two-stage research design using exploratory and descriptive methods. The study first reviewed the literature to identify the concept of strategic decision implementation. Next, it conducted an extensive search of the literature to develop a comprehensive model of the processes, context, and outcomes of implementing strategic decisions. The developed model holds five perspectives that identify decision formation, the implementation team, and decision-specific, environmental, and firm characteristics as effects on the decision implementation processes and outcomes. Next, the study explored empirically a conceptual model of the success factors of strategic decision implementation in the GCC healthcare sector. It analyzed surveys of 157 strategic decisions from private and public healthcare providers in the region concerned. The research findings provided empirical confirmation that the quality of implementation positively influences the success of the strategic decision. Monitoring, rational style, and change management were also introduced as strategic implementation processes that are essential contributors to implementation quality and indirect enablers of strategic decision success. Lastly, the study outlined directions for future research and some implications for researchers and managers. The present study contributes to the existing literature by developing an integrated model of strategic decision implementation and providing empirical evidence of the potential antecedents of successful implementation in the healthcare industry. In addition, the shift of this research from Western to Eastern settings and reliance on implementers' responses may draw new insights for future research.