| As a contribution to the literature, the rationale of this study was on understanding and differentiating competencies of implementing change among senior-level leaders who work in the Nevada casino industry.;A self-administered, closed-ended mail questionnaire was developed to elicit in-depth responses. The intention of this survey was to also produce statistics, that is, quantitative or numerical descriptions about some aspects of the study population and to connect variables in a systematic way that might establish their empirical relationships using correlation analysis or other statistical techniques.;The data collection portion of the study was conducted during the months of November 2004--January 2005. In order to maximize the number of responses, during this 3-month period of time, a follow-up letter was sent to all prospective participants; later, follow-up phone calls were made to non-respondents and a second survey was hand-delivered to those in key geographical areas.;This study is a first-of-its-kind investigation of the relationship between effective leadership behavior and successful strategy implementation in the Nevada casino industry. This study's findings, for the most part, are in agreement with earlier research on the concept of strategy implementation, and it reaffirms the role that strategic consensus plays in the strategy implementation process. Also, it underscores the findings that frequent communication up and down the organization structure serves to enhance strategic consensus through the fostering of shared attitudes and values. Besides, it reaffirms the concept that when organizations tie rewards to the success of the strategy, they are rewarded with higher levels of organizational performance. Having said this, the researcher concludes that strategy implementation plans must be clearly developed, indicating particular tasks for individuals, with clear-cut time frames, and knowing who are the people responsible for the completion of the task.;While not all organizations can overcome the so-called silent killers of strategy implementation, this researcher believes some can. More important, this researcher believes that companies can overcome the trials and tribulations of strategy implementation if they follow the nine-step strategy-executing process and model developed by Thompson, Gamble, and Strickland (2006). |
